Farmers’ Protest: Police have put up barricades to stop the Farmer’s March
Farmer protests erupted again and they marched to reach Delhi. The Haryana government put up barricades on the border with Punjab to stop protesting farmers from proceeding towards Delhi, resulting in clashes, lathi charges and lobbying of teargas shells.
Farmers had a smooth passage through Punjab
Previously they ran into barricades on two border points with Haryana, at Shambhu and Khanauri, the farmers had a smooth passage through Punjab, with the police deployed along the routes not attempting to stop them. The AAP, which rules both Punjab and Delhi, was quick to underline that while the party stood with the farmers’ demands, the BJP government in Haryana was standing in the way of the Dilli Chalo call given by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and Samyukta Kisan Morcha.
The farmers are seeking an MSP guarantee for 23 crops
Among other things, the farmers are seeking an MSP guarantee for 23 crops, waiver of their debts and withdrawal of cases registered against them during the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation. The Centre, which burnt its hands with that agitation, which lasted a year on Delhi’s borders and ended only after the scrapping of the three farm laws, held two rounds of meetings with farmer leaders in a bid to stall the march, without success.
Clashes erupted and the Opposition parties criticised the Centre
On Tuesday, as clashes erupted and the Opposition parties criticised the Centre, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said the MSP law cannot be brought in a hurry and the farmers should come forward for talks with the government.
The BJP would not want the farmer protest to blow up so close to the Lok Sabha elections. One of the reasons for its recent tie-up with the RLD, given its base among farmers, was assuaging residual farmer anger over the last protest. The Centre also sent another message to farmers, across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, with its Bharat Ratna to the late Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Farmers want to peacefully cross Haryana to reach Delhi
Farmers, most of whom are from Punjab, say they want to peacefully cross Haryana to reach Delhi, but they have not been allowed to do so. Scuffles between police and protesters have also been reported at the Shambhu border and the situation remains tense.
In 2020, protesting farmers hunkered down for months, blocking national highways that connect the capital to its neighbouring states. The movement was seen as one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Sources in the Punjab government confirmed that this time too, the police had not been given any instructions regarding stopping the latest farmers’ march.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also been quiet, though he had attacked farmers during the previous protest for stopping trains and inconveniencing people.
Many conflicts arise in Protest as well
Meet Tejveer Singh
One of the other main professional farmer protesters.He is clearly saying that they are fighting for regime change on behalf of the opposition parties.
It proves that this protest doesn't have anything with farmers. pic.twitter.com/Io3BkSRMMv
— Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) February 13, 2024
Mann and Center ministers sat on talk with formers
Incidentally, on Friday, Mann was roped in by the Centre to act as a mediator in talks held between farmer organisations and its ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai. After the meeting, Mann said he had tried his best to reach a resolution.
For the second round of talks on Monday, Mann sent his Cabinet colleague Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, but this meeting too remained inconclusive.
On Tuesday, anger at the farmer protest sites was reserved for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar. Some asked why “Haryana is behaving like Pakistan”. “Just look at the multi-tier barricading. There are boulders, nails, barbed wire, steel walls and and then tear gas shells,” a farmer said.
Jagjit Singh Dalewal of the Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur) and the convenor of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) said: “What are we doing? We just want to reach Delhi and organise a peaceful protest. We have promised we will not harm anyone. Why are they not allowing us free passage?”