GHAZIABAD: Farmers protesting at UP Gate have said they will organise a tractor rally to Palwal on Thursday, a day before the next round of talks are scheduled. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said the agitation will intensify in the next few days.
Dharmendra Malik, a BKU office-bearer, said: “It has been decided that on January 7, the farmers will take out a tractor rally from UP Gate to Palwal and more than 500 tractors will be there. The rally has been planned a day before the next round of talks on Friday. The government, which has not been taking us seriously, will get to know of our strength during our tractor rally.”
Farmers have said a series of protests has been planned that will end on Republic Day when a rally would be organised to go to Delhi. “On January 26, farmers will march towards Delhi and we will gherao district headquarters at different places,” Ramendra Singh, who was at the protest site, said.
Criticising the government for not being flexible, Tikait said farmers are ready to take bullets for the cause. “The government has not shown any flexibility during the talks. In the next round, if we are not offered anything concrete, the agitation will intensify further. We will take bullets on our chest. But we will not show our backs,” he said.
Meanwhile, with the rain and cold, those at the protest site are having to make special arrangements.
“Sporadic rain and the cold is causing a lot of hardships, especially for the elderly,” said Tarun Sodhi, a volunteer. “We are setting up tents,” he added.
KGP e-way traffic to be hit
Tractor rallies planned on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal and Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal expressways on Thursday are set to disrupt traffic movement in the region. The two roads were largely unaffected by the farmers’ protest till now