Only a few Hundreds of farmer agitators had, as of Saturday night, accepted the offer of the Delhi police to continue their agitation in a field in Burari, a day after relentless skirmishes on the capital’s interstate borders forced police to allow protesters to enter the city.
Meanwhile, thousands of farmers continued to block two main roads on the Singhu and Tikri borders, which connect Delhi with Haryana, for the second day in a row as part of their ongoing agitation against three agricultural laws passed by Parliament in September.
Union Interior Minister Amit Shah appealed to farmers on Saturday and said his government was ready for talks. “I appeal to protesting farmers so that the Union government is willing to hold talks. The Minister of Agriculture has invited them on December 3 for a discussion. The government is willing to deliberate on each problem and demand of the farmers, ”he told ANI.
Unlike on Friday, when police and farmers clashed several times at the two border points, there were no incidents on Saturday.
“We intend to block Delhi on all sides so that the government will be pressured to listen to our demands. Protesting in Burari would have been like being imprisoned in the open. We have come prepared for as long as it takes, ”said Purushottam Singh, head of the Lakhua (Punjab) unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union.
On Friday afternoon, Delhi Police had agreed to let the protesters in, provided they moved to the Burari field, but not before a series of clashes between farmers and the police that used tear gas shells, lathis and water cannons.
Only a few hundred farmers who entered the Tikri border have moved to Burari; no farmers camped on the Singhu border have accepted the offer to “protest only in Burari” from the Delhi police.
SInghu farmers said they would agree to a march to Rashtrapati Bhawan or Jantar Mantar, but not anywhere else. “Some of the farmers from the Tikri border had gone to the land of Burari, but we have called them,” said Jaspal Singh, a farmer leader from Firozpur, who is camping on the border of Tikri.
In the midst of the impasse, farmers from Punjab and Haryana continued to arrive at the Delhi-Haryana border throughout Saturday. “We have trucks and cars lined up for miles,” said Jaspal Singh.
On Saturday, police and farmers maintained a distance of at least 50 meters from each other on both borders.
“If the farmers want to go to Burari, we will remove the barricades. There has been no confrontation since Friday afternoon, but the barricades will remain closed, ”said A Koan, deputy police commissioner (outer district).
Gaurav Sharma, DCP of the Outer-North District, under whose jurisdiction the Singhu border falls, said: “Our aim is to keep the peace.”
The Delhi government installed a Covid-19 testing center on the ground on Saturday. The mobile center will have kits for rapid antigen testing at no cost, a senior revenue department official said.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain said: “Farmers have legitimate concerns. They should at least be heard. The Delhi government has rejected the police proposal to convert stadiums into prisons. We are simply facilitating the visit of farmers. “
Several politicians spoke in support of the farmers on Saturday. AAP lawmaker Sanjeev Jha, who met farmers in Burari along with his party leader Raghav Chadha, said they were there to make sure there are no inconveniences for farmers. “We will make sure they have no problems, regardless of how long they want to stay there,” Jha said.
Congressional leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that the Modi government cannot break the firm resolve of farmers through “bogus FIRs” and that the fight against the “anti-agriculture” laws will continue until they are repealed. He also tweeted that speaking out against injustice was not a crime but a duty. “Raising your voice against injustice is not a crime, it is a duty. For us, it was ‘Jai Kisan’ and will continue to be, ”he said.
Farmers Breaking Barricades at UP Gate Border
Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), led by Rakesh Tikait, broke through the barricades on the UP Gate border with eastern Delhi on Saturday afternoon. The 500 farmers were detained in Ghazipur by the Delhi police and returned to UP Gate to crouch under the flyover for the night.
“After breaking down the barriers, we took our vehicles to Ghazipur, where the Delhi police stopped us. So, we went back to UP Gate and decided to stay until a strategy was devised to enter Delhi, ”said Rajvir Singh, Vice President of State for BKU.
“We are diverting traffic away from UP Gate. Travelers coming from Mohan Nagar will not be able to turn left towards UP Gate. Instead, they can enter Delhi from Kaushambi. Those riding NH-9 will also not be able to go down to the UP Gate flyover. Instead, all those vehicles will go through the overpass, ”said Gyanendra Singh, superintendent of police (city 2).
In Gautam Budh Nagar, a group of farmers was intercepted on the Yamuna Highway on Saturday afternoon. “They were arrested near Jewar, after which they camped on the side of the highway. There was no traffic disruption and it was a peaceful gathering. No police action was necessary, ”said Additional Deputy Police Commissioner, Zone 3, Vishal Pandey.
Amarinder vs. Khattar
Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Saturday that he would not speak to his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar until he apologized for “inflicting brutality” on farmers marching to Delhi.
“Khattar is lying that he tried to call me earlier and I didn’t answer. But now, after what he’s done to my farmers, I’m not going to talk to him even if he calls me 10 times. Unless he apologizes and admits that he did wrong to the Punjab farmers, I will not forgive him, ”Singh said. The reaction from the Punjab CM came after Khattar claimed on Saturday that although he tried to speak out about the farmers’ issue, Singh did not respond or respond to calls made to his office for three days.
Mewat farmers for
march to delhi
Farmers from Nuh, Mewat, will travel to Delhi on December 1 to join the ongoing movement, farmers leaders in the region said. The decision was made after a joint meeting of the farmers union Bharatiya Kisan Union, Mewat Kisan Union and other organizations such as Mewat Vikas Sabha in Nuh on Saturday.
“We were heading towards Delhi on November 26, but the authorities who detained us prevented us from doing so. Farmers will march to Delhi on December 1 and join the commotion in great numbers, ”said Azad Khan, Vice President (Haryana) of Bharatiya Kisan Union.
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