The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march of the farmers from Punjab against the central government entered its fourth day on Friday….reports Asian Lite News
Amid the ongoing farmers’ protest, Gurnam Singh Charuni, head of Bharatiya Kisan Union, announced on Thursday that they will not pay toll in Haryana for three hours on Friday, which will be followed by a tractor parade in every Tehsil the next day and a joint meeting of all farmers’ and labour organisations on Saturday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of office-bearers of the Bharatiya Kisan Union called by Charuni earlier testerday.
“Three decisions were taken today: first is that we will keep Haryana toll free for 3 hours tomorrow, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.; the day after tomorrow, there will be a tractor parade in every Tehsil, from 12 pm; on February 18, there will be a joint meeting of all farmers’ and labour organisations,” Charuni told reporters.
“Further decisions will be taken in the meeting,” he added.
Charuni has a considerable influence in Haryana; however, he is not a part of the ongoing protests but the farmers’ leader was a part of the protests back in 2020-21.
Meanwhile, the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march of the farmers from Punjab against the central government entered its fourth day on Friday.
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 (non-political) and the 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. They are demanding to enact a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, in line with the Swaminathan Commission report.
They are also demanding a complete debt waiver and a scheme to provide pensions to farmers and farm labourers.
No breakthrough in talks
As the third meeting between Union Ministers and the farmer leaders ended in a stalemate, with no common ground in sight, the next round of the talks will take place on Sunday.
After the meeting concluded, Union Minister Arjun Munda said that the third round of talks with the leaders of the protesting farmers was, however, “positive”.
“Today, a very positive discussion happened between the government and the farmers’ unions. Focusing on the topics highlighted by the farmers’ union, we have decided that the next meeting will take place on Sunday at 6 pm… We all will find a solution peacefully…,” Munda said.
The third round of talks between the Union ministers and the 14 farmer union leaders concluded after around five hours.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, represented the central government at the meeting.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present at the meeting.
Previous talks with the representatives of the farm bodies also had turned out to be unfruitful, which spurred the farmers to come up with the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
The first meeting between the farmer leaders and the centre took place on February 8, while the second was held on February 12.
Amid the protest, two key border points between Delhi and Haryana remained closed for traffic, while security personnel in anti-riot gear conducted drills and mock exercises to ensure their fool-proof preparation. The Delhi Police has ordered more than 30,000 teargas shells from the Border Security Force’s (BSF) Tear Smoke Unit, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Haryana government has announced the extension of internet shutdown in districts including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa tomorrow in view of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by the farmers. This is the third time that internet services have been suspended in the state this month, due to the protests. (ANI)
‘Protesting farmers fighting for country like soldiers’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi voiced his solidarity with the protesting farmers, drawing a parallel between their struggle and the dedication of soldiers guarding the nation’s borders. He highlighted the harsh treatment faced by farmers in Delhi, including tear gas and rubber bullets, emphasising their noble cause akin to the sacrifices made by soldiers.
Also, from “doubling the farmer’s income” to “bring back black money”, Rahul Gandhi launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the PM of failing to provide 2 crore jobs to the youths in the country every year.
The latest attack came even as some farmer unions are on a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march protesting to remind the government of the promises made to them, including legislation guaranteeing Minimum support price on their crops during their year-long stir more than two years ago.
“Modi ji, before ‘new guarantees’, calculate the ‘old guarantees’,” Rahul Gandhi posted in Hindi on X.
His post added, “Guarantee of 2 crore jobs every year–false. Guarantee of doubling a farmer’s income – false. Guarantee to bring back black money–false. Guarantee to reduce inflation–false. Guarantee of Rs 15 lakh in every account–false. Guarantee of women’s safety and dignity–false. Guarantee of making 100 smart cities–false. Guarantee to strengthen the rupee–false. Guaranteed to show China a red-eye – Lie. Guarantee that I will neither eat nor allow anyone to eat–false”.
“The Prime Minister, who has been roaming around with a microscope of false dreams for the last 10 years, is running a business of fraud in the country,” the Congress leader claimed.
“BJP government means guarantee of lies and injustice, Congress will do justice to the dreams of the country,” he alleged.
The Congress leader is on a Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Nyay Yatra is passing through the state of Bihar days after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was at the forefront of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties formed to take on the BJP, dumped the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and joined hands again with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. (ANI)
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