Farmers are protesting over their demands which include “MSP guarantee law” and debt waiver…reports Asian Lite News
Massive security arrangements that were put in place on the borders of the national capital to stop protest by farmers on Tuesday turned into a nightmare for commuters in Delhi. To ensure law and order, Delhi enforced Section 144, restricting entry of tractor trolleys and large assemblies.
Visuals from Delhi’s Gazipur border, Shambhu border and Tikri border showed barricades and barbed wires erected on the roads blocking entry. Similar arrangements are observed at the Singhu border with rows of barricades lining the road.
Multi-layered barricades were placed at borders to restrict the protesting farmers from entering the national capital. Meanwhile, Mohammed Sarfaraz, SP, Patiala city reviewed the security arrangement at Delhi’s Shambhu border.
As per the police, a force of more than 2000 personnel, including CAPF, Crime Branch staff and battalions, are keeping a vigil to maintain law and order and address any untoward incidents.
Ankit Singh, DCP of the North East District on Monday said, “Section 144 is in place. Bringing in tractor trolleys and assemblies is restricted. The Delhi Police and the CAPF are here. We have prepared to seal the border. We will ensure that no one breaks this border. If there is any untoward incident we will seal it completely.”
Meanwhile, the meeting between the farmer union leaders and the government ended in a stalemate with no common ground in sight.
On the meeting, Union Minister Arjun Munda said he remains hopeful of a breakthrough, adding that the Centre wants to arrive at a resolution through dialogue.
Speaking to the reporters here after holding a fresh round of talks with the protesting farmer leaders, the Union Minister informed that while a breakthrough wasn’t achieved, a broad consensus was reached on most of the issues of contention.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda were among the team holding talks with farmer leaders. Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was also present. Farmers are protesting over their demands which include “MSP guarantee law” and debt waiver.
‘Tried our best to find a solution’
Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher on Tuesday said that all efforts were made in the meeting to find a solution to avoid a confrontation with the government adding that they anticipated a positive result.
“We want to present our views before the whole of India that we tried our best in yesterday’s meeting to take some kind of decision so that we can avoid confrontation with the government and we get something that we had hoped for. We can only hope and trust. After doing this, we sat in the meeting for 5 hours,” Pandher said while addressing media in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib.
He alleged that the police are harassing the people in the villages of Haryana and Punjab while expressing concern over the situation in these states.
“We presented the position of Haryana before them that you have turned Haryana into the valley of Kashmir, you are sending police to every village in Haryana. You have sent water cannons to every village of Haryana. Farmers and relatives of every village of Haryana are being harassed,” he said.
“It is being said that your son is doing MBBS, they will not let him do it, the kind of degree your son should get. If your brother is working at home, we will fire him from his job and cancel your passport. Then other types of harassment are also more and more, whatever kind we say, it is more and more. See it seems that Punjab and Haryana are not two states from India but an international border, by what we are seeing now,” Pandher asserted.
The farmer leader rubbished the claims of Congress party’s support to the farmers and labourers adding that the latter is as guilty as the ruling BJP in the plight of the farmers.
“We are the farmers and labourers of the country, whatever is being said in the media, no Congress supports us, we consider Congress as guilty as BJP is guilty. These policies have been brought by Congress, We are not left, CPI, and CPM who ruled Bengal, made 20 mistakes, what kind of revolution came from there in West Bengal, we are not on anyone’s side, we are farmers and labourers,” Pandher said.
“Those who are going to raise their voice are their men, and then we will appeal to our people, whether they are singers of Punjab or the country or intellectuals, NRI brothers, whether it is another civil society that also includes journalists,” he said.
“This is not just our issue, or question, that is definitely in this big movement, it is not just us, this is the demand of 140 crore countrymen,” Pandher added.
The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the central government for which they’re marching to Delhi. The protest this time has been called by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
According to the protesting farmers, the centre promised them better crop prices after which they ended the 2021 protest.
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