The protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, continued their agitation on Saturday as their ‘Delhi chalo’ march entered Day 5. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has said it will intensify the stir in the coming days after farmers’ groups, along with trade unions and others, observed the ‘Grameen Bharat bandh’ on Friday.
A ‘mahapanchayat’ will be organised on Saturday at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh to discuss the “atrocities” being committed on the protesting farmers in the country. Meanwhile, mobile internet services will remain snapped in seven districts of Haryana, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa.
Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on February 13 morning began their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to press for their demands, amid heavy barricading at Haryana-Punjab border and entry points into the National Capital. However, most of them were stopped by security personnel at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab’s border with Haryana. The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then.
Over 200 farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, are taking part in the march to press the Centre to accept their demands.
Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.
Farmers’ protest: Here’s a list of developments so far
- The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) will on Saturday hold dharnas outside the residences of three senior BJP leaders in Punjab on the fifth day of the farmers’ protest over their various demands. Apart from holding dharnas outside the homes of former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, the BJP’s Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar and senior leader Kewal Singh Dhillon, the union will also hold protests at toll plazas in the state, extending support to the farmers’ “Delhi Chalo” call.
- Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday demanded that the Centre should bring an ordinance on giving a legal guarantee to MSP.
- Haryana Police on Friday fired tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers when they moved towards the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala, a day after talks between Union ministers and farmer leaders remained inconclusive.
- Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said a ‘mahapanchayat’ will be organised on Saturday at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh to discuss the “atrocities” being committed on the protesting farmers in the country. Farmers and activists of BKU from UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Haryana have been exhorted to attend the congregation to be held at the ‘Kisan Bhawan’ in Sisauli.
- Amid the impasse, the Union ministers and farmer leaders will meet on February 18 for the fourth round of talks. The two sides met on February 8, 12, and 15 as well but those talks remained inconclusive.
- The Haryana Police on Friday released a series of video clips of several farmers purportedly pelting stones and attempting to provoke the security personnel at the Shambhu border.
- Farmer leaders spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ call claimed that the Haryana security personnel used “force” against protesters by hurling tear gas shells and firing rubber bullets at them, leaving many injured.
- On the fourth day of the protest, a 63-year-old farmer, who was among the protesters at the Shambhu border, died of a heart attack on Friday. According to officials, Gian Singh, from Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, complained of chest pain in the morning and was taken to the Civil Hospital in Punjab’s Rajpura. From there, he was rushed to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala where doctors declared him dead.
- Centre and farmers will meet again on Sunday to discuss a way forward at a time when talks are stuck primarily on three key demands – legal guarantee to MSP, using a comprehensive cost formula (C2+50%) to arrive at it & farm loan waiver.
- Commuters in Punjab faced inconvenience on Friday as buses stayed off the roads in response to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s call for a ‘Bharat Bandh’. Protests were held in parts of western Uttar Pradesh on Friday to mark the ‘Bharat Bandh’ call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. However, the bandh received mixed responses across North India.
- Industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday said it apprehends “severe hit” to trade and industry and loss of employment in the northern states from a lingering farmers’ agitation which would result in economic losses of over Rs 500 crore daily.
- Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over farmers’ protest, alleging that the Center is doing injustice to them.
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