Famers submit memoranda seeking repeal of agri laws as protests complete seven months; Tomar appeals to end stir

With their protest against the Centre's three agri laws completing seven months, farmers observed Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas (Save Agriculture, Save Democracy Day) on Saturday. Farmers tried to march to governors' residence in several states, seeking to submit memoranda seeking the withdrawal of the three farm laws.

Farmers from Punjab and Haryana submitted memoranda to officials from the Governor's office in Chandigarh before returning home, reported The Tribune.

The farmers from Punjab broke through barricades at the Chandigarh-Mohali border while attempting to march to the Governor's house and police used a water cannon to disperse them.

In Delhi, farmer leaders said that they weren't allowed to meet Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, but they spoke to him virtually and submitted a memorandum to his representative.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points, said that farmers were detained in states like Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana during the protests.

According to a statement by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various points on the Delhi border, Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas was being marked all over India to mark the completion of seven months of the farmers' protests and 46 years after the promulgation of Emergency in India in 1975.

The SKM had said that thousands of farmers across India planned to march in rallies to Raj Bhavans in different states on Saturday.

As an expression of solidarity, one such rally was also being planned in Massachusetts, USA, it said.

Protests by farmers growing wheat, sugarcane, mango, apple, green gram, paddy, jowar and others continued in different parts of the country for remunerative guaranteed prices, the statement added.

Security was tightened in the National Capital and in other cities, after the SKM said that representatives of farmers will submit memoranda of their demands, addressed to the President, to governors in various states.

Delhi

Hundreds of farmers from interiors of Uttar Pradesh, many of them on tractors, reached Ghazipur on Delhi's borders to mark the completion of seven months of the protest. A senior police official said that farmers had given a call for a protest march from the Civil Lines metro station to the Raj Bhawan and added that the Delhi Police tightened security across the National Capital's borders in view of the anticipated march.

"Adequate police deployment was made at the site in view of the increased gathering of protestors," a police official said.

Thousands of farmers from Saharanpur and Sisauli in western Uttar Pradesh reached Ghazipur Gate led by BKU chief Rakesh Tikait. A group of protesters led by Tikait submitted a memorandum of their demands at the office of DCP Northeast Delhi after a virtual meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

The SKM alleged in a statement that protestors were not allowed to meet Baijal, and were picked up and taken to the Wazirabad Police Training Centre. Later on, a brief virtual meeting was arranged with the LG and the memorandum was handed over to his representative, it said.

The farmers then called off their march to Delhi, BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said. "The memorandum included our demands for the withdrawal of the three new farms laws and for enacting a new law to ensure guarantee for MSP," he told PTI.

Earlier in the day, the BKU dismissed reports of Rakesh Tikait being arrested as completely baseless and said he is present at the Ghazipur border.

अभी-अभी राकेश टिकैत जी की जो गिरफ्तारी की खबरें हैं वह पूरी तरह से निराधार हैं हाल का टिकैत साहब का ब्यान सुन सकते हैं ।इस वक्त टिकैत साहब गाजीपुर बॉर्डर बॉर्डर पर मौजूद हैं#tikait #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/YU6WeaOaPS

— Bhartiya kisan Union (@OfficialBKU) June 26, 2021

The Delhi Police too clarified that the reports were fake and warned that action would be taken against those spreading such news.

Meanwhile, citing security reasons, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had decided that three stations on the Yellow Line — Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines, and Vidhan Sabha — would remain closed for the public from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday.

As advised by Delhi Police, in view of security reasons, three Metro stations of Yellow Line namely, Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines and Vidhan Sabha will remain closed for public from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm tomorrow i.e, 26.06.2021 (Saturday).

— Delhi Metro Rail Corporation I कृपया मास्क पहनें😷 (@OfficialDMRC) June 25, 2021

Punjab

In Punjab, a large number of farmers, including women, from several parts of the state assembled at Amb Sahib Gurudwara in Mohali before heading to the Punjab Raj Bhavan.

Addressing the protesters at Mohali, farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal alleged that the Central government intended to hand over farming to corporate houses.

Carrying flags of farmers' unions and raising slogans against the BJP-led government, protesters, including women and youths, marched towards Chandigarh on tractors and other vehicles or walked on foot.

The farmers broke the police barricades on the Mohali-Chandigarh border to march into the Union Territory and police used a water cannon. One of the protesting farmers climbed on top of a water cannon vehicle.

According to The Hindustan Times, the farmers managed to enter Chandigarh with the help of tractors but were stopped on Madhya Marg, two kilometres from governor VP Singh Badnore’s official residence.

According to PTI, the farmers were stopped near sector 17 by police where some buses were parked on the road to prevent protesters from heading towards Punjab Raj Bhavan. Rajewal submitted a memorandum to the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner.

"The memorandum urges President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to direct the Union Government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the farmers' movement, repeal the three anti-farmer laws and enact a law that will guarantee remunerative MSP...," the Morcha said in a statement.

A majority of the protesters were without masks and were not following COVID-appropriate behaviour, the PTI reported.

According to the Hindustan Times report, after the memorandum was submitted, many farmers went back while some were dropped in buses to the Chandigarh border.

Haryana

According to the report, a group of farmers coming from Haryana, led by Yogendra Yadav and Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union president Gurnam Singh Chaduni, did not enter Chandigarh. The group handed over the memorandum to an officer of the Haryana governor’s secretariat in Panchkula.

The farmers, who had gathered at Gurdwara Nada Sahib in Panchkula and headed towards Haryana Raj Bhavan, forcing their way through a layer of barricades, were stopped at the Chandigarh-Panchkula border where the state police had deployed water cannon and trucks, according to new agency PTI.

"Where was the need to stop the protestors It was only a matter of handing over a memorandum to the Governor and not allowing even this much is a reflection of the undeclared emergency and authoritarian times we are going through," the SKM said in a statement.

The BKU (Chaduni) had said that on the call of the SKM, farmers of the state will march to the Governor's house in Chandigarh and submit a memorandum to be sent to the President.

Tight security arrangements in Chandigarh

In view of the farmers' protest march, the Haryana Police had made security arrangements at the Chandigarh-Panchkula border and officials said a heavy police force was deployed in Chandigarh. According to a statement issued by the Chandigarh traffic police on Friday, 13 entry and exit points in Chandigarh were to remain closed from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday.

"In view of the law and order situation in the city, following entry/exit points will remain closed on 26 June from 10 am to 6 pm. These are Mullanpur barrier, Zirakpur barrier, Sector 5/8 turn, Hirsa Singh Chowk, Sector 7/8 turn, Lake turn, Sector 7 residence cut opposite PRB, Golf turn, Gursagar Sahib turn, Maulijagran bridge, Housing Board near the bridge, Kishangarh turn and Matour Barrier," the statement said, and advised the general public to avoid these routes and stay at home except in case of any emergency.

According to the Hindustan Times report, despite the police advisory, traffic came to a standstill in Chandigarh.

Gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana, who was booked for his alleged involvement in the violence at the Red Fort on Republic Day during a tractor rally, also participated in the farmers' protests.

A Delhi court on Saturday granted him interim protection from arrest. Sidhana had moved Delhi's Tis Hazari court seeking anticipatory bail in the case.

Additional Sessions Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen posted the matter for 3 July and directed the police to not arrest him until then. Sidhana had earlier denied involvement in the Republic Day violence.

Centre calls on unions to end agitation

Earlier in the day, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar reiterated the appeal to the farmers' unions to call off their agitation.

"The government of India has held 11 rounds of talks with them (the unions). The agriculture bills will bring about a change in the farmers' lives. The Government of India has increased the MSP. It has bought more at MSP than earlier. And a large section of the country is backing the laws. But even then, if the farmers' union has any problem with any of the clauses, the Union government is ready to listen to them,  to discuss and to redress (the problems)," the minister said.

मैं सभी किसान यूनियन के लोगों को कहना चाहता हूँ कि उनको अपना आंदोलन समाप्त करना चाहिए।

भारत सरकार कानून के किसी भी प्रावधान पर बात करने के लिए भी तैयार है और उसका निराकरण करने के लिए भी तैयार है। pic.twitter.com/VUxrAh8MZl

— Narendra Singh Tomar (@nstomar) June 26, 2021

His earlier offer to resume talks had failed to end the logjam as the farmers insisted on the scrapping of the laws and sought a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Rakesh Tikait announces two more rallies

The SKM termed Tomar's recent statements as perplexing and contradictory and asserted that farmer leaders are not seeking some meaningless amendments in the Central farm laws which have fundamental flaws, and urged the people to punish the BJP.

"Farmers are ready to put in their energies to educate fellow citizens and appeal to them to punish BJP. That is the only lesson that the government seems to be willing to listen to," the SKM said after Saturday's protests.

Meanwhile, Rakesh Tikait announced that the movement will be strengthened. "We have decided to hold two more rallies; a tractor rally will be held on 9 July in which people from Shamli and Baghpat will be present, it will reach Singhu border on 10 July," he said.

"Another rally will be held on 24 July, people from Bijnor and Meerut will be present in it. On the night of 24 July, they will halt at Meerut toll and on 25 July the rally will reach here (Delhi-Ghazipur)," ANI quoted the BKU leader as saying.

We are with the protesting farmers, tweets Rahul Gandhi

On Saturday morning, extending support to the agitating farmers, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted: "It's simple: We are with the protesting farmers".

सीधी-सीधी बात है-
हम सत्याग्रही अन्नदाता के साथ हैं।#FarmersProtest

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 26, 2021

Party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Congress strongly supports the peaceful protest of the farmers.

7 माह से नहीं 7 साल से किसानों को प्रताडि़त कर रही है मोदी सरकार!

भारतीय राष्ट्रीय कांग्रेस पूरी प्रतिबद्धता और दृढ़ता से देश के किसान भाइयों के साथ खड़ी है।

किसानों के शांतिपूर्ण प्रदर्शन का पार्टी पुरजोर समर्थन करती है।

हमारा वक्तव्य -:#किसान_आंदोलन #FarmersProtest
1/8 pic.twitter.com/OtXxUTV4fJ

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) June 26, 2021

Farmers have been protesting against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Farmers' groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates. The government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced but has maintained that it is ready to amend the provisions of the laws.

Farmers have been camping at Delhi borders since November last year, demanding the withdrawal of these three laws. They have also been demanding that a new law be made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

Several rounds of talks between the farmers and the Centre have failed to break the deadlock over these contentious laws.

The Supreme Court had in January put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and has set up a committee to resolve the row. The committee has submitted its report.

During the 10th round of talks held on 20 January, the Centre had offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi's borders.

The talks between the farmers and the Centre came to a halt after a  tractor parade by farmers in Delhi on 26 January turned violent. The last round of talks between the farmer leaders and the government was held on 22 January

With inputs from agencies