Farmers' protest LIVE Updates: What if youth removes govt from power, Tikait to govt over farm laws

Farmers' protest LIVE Updates: Amid the ongoing farmers' protest, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait has reached Haryana's Jind to attend a mahapanchayat there. Meanwhile, international icons -- Rihanna and Greta Thunberg -- took to Twitter on Tuesday night to extend support to the ongoing farmers' agitation in India. Catch all the live updates on farmers' protest here.

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New Delhi
February 3, 2021
UPDATED: February 3, 2021 16:13 IST
Farmers have been protesting against Centre's three farm laws for over two months now. (Image: PTI)
Farmers have been protesting against Centre's three farm laws for over two months now. (Image: PTI)

The farmers' protest in India has garnered support from international icons. Late on Tuesday, international singer, actor and entrepreneur Rihanna posted a tweet, coming out in support of the ongoing farmers' protest at the borders of Delhi. Sharing a news report from CNN about the internet shutdown on the outskirts of Delhi in view of thousands of farmers protesting against the Indian government's newly enacted farm laws, Rihanna tweeted in just 50 characters, "Why aren't we talking about this?"

After Rihanna, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg took to Twitter to extend support to the ongoing farmers' agitation in India. The 18-year-old environmental activist shot to fame with her 'Fridays for Future' movement in 2018. In a tweet on Tuesday, Greta Thunberg, while attaching a news story about internet shutdowns in Delhi, said, "We stand in solidarity with the Farmers Protest in India."

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait reached Jind, Haryana today (Wednesday) to attend Khap mahapanchayat. The panchayat will convene at Kandela village and will be attended by various leaders from across Haryana. Nearly 30 Khap panchayats are taking part in the event in support of farmers protesting against the three newly enacted agri laws. "Such panchayats will be held across the country until the government accepts our demands," said Rakesh Tikait was quoted by news agency AN as saying.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES ON FARMERS' PROTEST HERE:

4.05 PM: Scores of protesters from student wings of the opposition parties and other Left-wing leaders and influencers staged a protest against the government over the farm bills row in New Delhi. The protesters had organised a "Citizens March" from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, however, the police didn't grant them permission.

The protesters, largely comprised of student unions from the Jawahar All University (JNU) gathered at Mandi House and shouted slogans against the farm bills and accused the government of oppression of the activists and journalists.

4.00 PM: BJP MP Varun Gandhi takes on British MP. Reacting to British MP Claudia Webbe's notification that she will be raising India's farmer protest in their parliament, Varun Gandhi advised her to instead discuss how their former PM Winston Churchill's policies led to a massive famine in India in 1943.

3.57 PM: Serious trouble brewing for microblogging site Twitter. The government has sent a final notice to Twitter over what is being called objectionable and inciting hashtags and accounts continuing on the site. Top government sources said that the notice warns Twitter that if the content is not removed and the accounts which are propagating the content are not blocked, there will be penal action.

The notice was fired by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology after Twitter Monday restored nearly 250 accounts that were blocked in earlier on Monday morning following a complaint from the ministry.

3.56 PM: 11 MPs from Shiromani Akali Dal, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress, IUML, BSP, Shiv Sena, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Congress have given notices of adjournment motion in Lok Sabha tover farm laws.

3.55 PM: At Jind Mahapanchayat, Rakesh Tikait reiterates farmers' demands: repeal of farm laws, legal guarantee of MSP, the release of arrested farmers, implementation of Swaminathan Commission report and withdrawal of cases filed against agitating farmers.

3.50 PM: Rakesh Tikait's posters have sprung up at several places near the Ghazipur protest site and near the main stage comparing him to a "hero" while one claimed that Tikait had a "chhappan inch ki chhati (56-inch chest)". Besides a visible change in the mood among the protesters, the posters signify that the farmers' agitation, which was leaderless earlier, has found a face in Rakesh Tikait. The posters attest to the rising popularity of Tikait, a former Delhi Police constable. Read Full Story.

A poster of Rakesh Tikait near Ghazipur border (Source: India Today)

3.42 PM: PM Narendra Modi is holding a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Prahlad Joshi in Parliament. According to ources, they will discuss farmers' agitation and issues related to current Parliament session.

2:45 pm: Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait reached Jind district in Haryana on (Wednesday) to attend a Khap mahapanchayat. Addressing at the gathering, Rakesh Tikait said the year 2021 is the year of youth revolution.

He questioned the Centre over the demand to repeal farm laws, "What will you do if the youth asks you to return your seat [removes you from power]?"

1:40 pm: BKU leader Rakesh Tikait will address Khap mahapanchayat at Kandela in Jind, Haryana, shortly. Nearly 30 Khap panchayats are taking part in the event in support of farmers protesting against the three agri laws.

1:13 pm: As global pop icon Rihanna and climate change activist Greta Thunberg created a storm on social media on Tuesday night with their support towards the ongoing farmers' agitation, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that it is "unfortunate" that some vested groups are garnering international support.

In a detailed statement posted by MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, India has said, "Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible." READ FULL STORY HERE

12:21 pm: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear a plea seeking an investigation into the Red fort incident. "We are sure that the government is inquiring into it. We read a statement by the PM [Narendra Modi] that the law is taking its own course," said Chief Justice of India SA Bobde.

12:13 pm: A mahapanchayat is underway in Jind district of Haryana. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Arajnaitik) leader Rakesh Tikait will attend the meeting.

12:07 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday some farmers, who participated in the protest during tractor rally on January 26, are missing. "Many have been arrested by the Delhi Police. It is possible that many of those missing had been arrested in connection with the chaos at Red Fort.

"The government is trying best to connect with their families. We will release a list of those arrested shortly," Kejriwal said.

11:54: The Ministry of Home Affairs said financial loss has been caused due to farmers' agitation. However, the ministry didn't give figures. READ FULL STORY HERE

MHA's statement

11:50 am: Gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana, who has been named in an FIR over the Republic Day violence in Delhi, was operating at the Singhu border area ahead of the tractor rally, said Delhi Police officials. Delhi Police teams were about to nab Lakha Sidhana from the Singhu border area on January 26 but as the tractor rally crowd took over, the accused switched off his phone and managed to escape from the area. READ FULL REPORT HERE

11:30 am: Mia Khalifa tweeted in support of the ongoing farmers' agitation in India. In her post, Mia shared a picture from the protests and expressed severe shock over the sequence of events in Delhi. "What in the human rights violations is going on?! They cut the internet around New Delhi?! #FarmersProtest," Mia Khalifa said in the caption of her post. She also shared a picture from the protests wherein a man was seen holding a placard that said, "Stop killing farmers!"

11:20 am: The Delhi Police has announced a cash reward of 1 lakh for information on one Jugraj Singh who has been accused of hoisting a flag at Red Fort during Republic Day tractor parade carried out protesting farmers.

The cash reward of Rs 1 lakh has also been announced for information that can lead to the arrest of actors Deep Sidhu and three others in connection with the Republic Day violence in Delhi, news agency PTI reported officials as saying.

Jugraj Singh. (Photo: Arvind Ojha)

11 am: Meena Harris, the niece of US Vice-President Kamala Harris, took to Twitter on Wednesday to express outrage over the "internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters" in India.

"It’s no coincidence that the world’s oldest democracy was attacked not even a month ago, and as we speak, the most populous democracy is under assault. This is related. We ALL should be outraged by India’s internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters," Meena Harris said in one of her tweets.

9:46 am: According to news agency ANI, the government and the Opposition in Rajya Sabha reached on consensus to allocate more time to discuss motion of thanks and parties can raise their issues on farmers' protest during the discussion.

9:36 am: Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday said that the Indian flag was not insulted and it was intact when the farmer’s agitation reached the Red Fort on Republic Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last Sunday that India was shocked to see the insult of the Tricolour. READ FULL STORY HERE

9:30 am: Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait will reached Jind, Haryana today (Wednesday) to attend mahapanchayat. The panchayat will convene at Kandela village and will be attended by various leaders from across Haryana. "Such panchayats will be held across the country until the government accepts our demands," said Rakesh Tikait as he was en route to Jind to attend a mahapanchayat.

9 am: Congress MPs Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma have given a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha over the ongoing farmer agitation. Bahujan Samaj Party, CPI, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), CPI(M) have also given a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha over farmers' protest.

Parliament witnessed ruckus over the three agri-marketing laws which the protesters want to be repealed. Both Houses of Parliament faced repeated adjournments on Tuesday as Opposition members disrupted proceedings, demanding a discussion on the central laws enacted last September.

BARRICADING PROTEST SITES

On Tuesday, cement barriers, barbed wire, spikes on roads and policemen in large numbers dominated farmers' protest sites on Delhi borders as the Opposition created a ruckus in Parliament over the three agri-marketing laws which the protesters want to be repealed.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the central government for barricading protest sites across various Delhi borders with spikes, nails and cement walls. Quoting legendary American revolutionary martin Luther King Junior, Rahul Gandhi said, "build bridges and not walls". He also shared a set of images showing barricades and roadblocks set up by Delhi Police at the Ghazipur border, Tikri border and Singhu border.

MHA JUSTIFIES POLICE ACTION ON PROTESTING FARMERS

Meanwhile, the Union home ministry on Tuesday justified the action of the Delhi Police against protesting farmers during the Republic Day tractor rally in the national capital. The ministry said police were left with no other option.

Replying to a question in Parliament, the home ministry said, "Farmers action left the Delhi Police with no option but to use teargas, water cannons and mild force to control crowd." It added that social distancing norms were not being followed during the farmers' protest and that farmers had gathered in large number without facemask amid Covid-19 restrictions.

"Delhi Police has registered 39 cases against the farmers protesting the recently passed farm laws between September and December, 2020 at Delhi border," the reply said.