The youth wing of Congress said on Monday that a group of its members set fire to a tractor in Rajpath, which connects the Gateway of India with the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, in protest against the new agricultural laws as the party planned intensify protests against the legislation. .
“Our country feeds on the blood and sweat of our farmers. From fighting the British to feeding the entire nation, our farmers are the backbone of the nation. In [freedom fighter] The Youth Congress on the anniversary of # BhagatSingh’s birth set fire to a tractor in protest against the government’s anti-farmer bills, ”the Youth Congress said in a tweet.
President Ram Nath Kovind signed into law three controversial farm bills on Sunday, even as more than a dozen opposition parties urged him not to sign them, saying they were passed “unconstitutionally” in “total disregard” of parliamentary rules.
The tractor caught fire hours before Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of Congress started a sit-in in Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village of Khatkar Kalan, against the laws.
Farmers have been blocking the Amritsar-Delhi railway as part of protests against the laws even as the government has insisted they make them self-sufficient. They say the new laws could lead to an end to minimum support prices for their products.
The tractor on fire. (Originally)
Congress has compared the laws to cancer and the slow poison that will kill farmers and agriculture. He has urged all parties to unite and oppose the laws, which according to the party will make farmers “slaves to big business.”
Delhi police said five people have been arrested for setting the tractor on fire and that the fire was put out and no one was injured in the incident.
“Today [Monday] around 7:15 am, some [15-20] people carrying a tractor in a Tata 407 vehicle arrived at Rajpath, Man Singh Crossing. They unloaded the tractor and tried to set it on fire. They claimed to be members of the Youth Congress, Punjab. Appropriate legal action has been taken, ”said a Delhi police spokesman. “Five people have been arrested so far and one vehicle seized. The affiliation of these people is being verified ”.
Also read: PM Modi reaches out to farmers amid anger
Passersby told police that the men raised slogans of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” and clicked on the images with the tractor on fire. Some were also streamed live on social media from the venue. They also carried effigies.
Deputy Police Commissioner Eish Singhal said: “Our men arrived at the scene and put out the fire before the tractor burned down completely. The vehicle has been recalled and legal action is being taken. “
Authorities said that adequate police force has been deployed to the area to prevent a repeat of such an incident.
Delhi police have increased security around the city’s borders amid ongoing farmers’ protest in Punjab and Haryana against agricultural reforms. On Friday, police prevented protesting farmers from entering Delhi through the Mayur Vihar border.
.
