Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh promised to act after obtaining the go-ahead from the prime minister.
New Delhi:
The Noida-Delhi border crossing at Chilla reopened to traffic last night after two weeks of successful talks between the protesting farmer representatives and the central government. During the meeting, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh promised proactive consideration of the agitators’ demands.
The road from Noida to Delhi was first partially reopened around 10pm and then fully around 11pm on Saturday, with police personnel and farmers removing the barricades. The side out of Delhi was open anyway.
The breakthrough came after the representatives of the farmers who had settled in protest in Chilla presented their 18 demands to the government, which in turn promised to investigate them. In addition to Mr. Singh, the Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar was also present at the meeting.
“They received our statement and said that there was nothing in it that could not be handled. However, they said that they will have to obtain authorization from the Prime Minister,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). representing farmers.
“They asked us to clear the protest and said they will call us in 10-15 days. Therefore, we decided to remove the blockade,” said the BKU chief.
While the farmers are said to be satisfied, a section of BKU is in favor of continuing the agitation. BKU district chief Rajiv Nagar said there will be a farmers “mahapanchayat” on Sunday morning around 11am to decide the future course of action. Your protest could continue in a nearby park.
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