Farmers protest: After tractor parade on Republic Day, protestors announce march to Parliament on Budget day

Krantikari Kisan Union’s Darshan Pal today announced that the farmers will march on foot towards Parliament in Delhi from different locations on February 1, the day the Union Budget will be presented in Parliament. The announcement comes just a day ahead of the planned tractor rally by protesting farmers at Republic Day on January 26. Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have planned a tractor rally tomorrow in protest against the three farm laws enacted by the Centre.

The farmer unions today said that their tractor parade will not enter central Delhi and it will start only after the official Republic Day parade concludes. They claimed that around two lakh tractors are expected to participate in their parade which will move into the national capital from three border points — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur.

Earlier in the day, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the Centre’s proposal to suspend the laws for 1.5 years was the “best offer” and that the farmers should reconsider it. He said the government had given the best offer to the unions and it will be taken forward once the peasants decide on the proposal.

The talks between the government and protesting farm unions have remained inconclusive even after 11 rounds of discussions. During the 10th round of talks, the Centre had offered a proposal to keep the new laws in abeyance for 1.5 years, but it was rejected by the unions. In the 11th round of discussion, the government asked unions to reconsider the proposal and convey their final decision.

The Agriculture Minister today said that the farmers could have chosen any other day instead of January 26 but they have announced their tractor rally. “Conducting the rally peacefully without any accident would be the concern for farmers as well as police administration,” he said.