The farmers’ protest began last month against three controversial laws.
New Delhi:
Thousands of farmers, protesting the government’s controversial farm laws, have planned a mass demonstration today to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway as they pledge to intensify their unrest, which began in late November. Today’s rally will be followed by a hunger strike across India on Monday, when protesters plan to hold protests at district offices. On Saturday, more than 4,000 policemen were deployed in Gurgaon and Haryana to prevent farmers from occupying the roads. The laws are aimed at introducing reforms and increasing farmers’ incomes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday in what was seen as a renewed government guarantee.
Here are 10 developments in this great story:
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Farmers from Rajasthan and Haryana are expected to start their rally towards the national capital at 11 am on National Highway 48 (Delhi-Chennai highway). On Saturday, a large group of protesters was prevented from blocking the main road from Delhi to Agra. “We are fully prepared to prevent the protests from escalating,” a high-ranking Gurgaon policeman told NDTV.
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As protests to seek repeal of the laws mounted, a group of 29 farmer leaders from Haryana met with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday to show their support for the new farm laws. “We will also protest if the government repeals the laws. We have delivered a memorandum to all the districts,” Bharatiya Kisan (Mann) Union leader Guni Prakash told reporters after the meeting.
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Farmers vowed to intensify the protests despite the prime minister’s message on Saturday when he said: “We have taken all these initiatives to increase farmers’ incomes and make them more prosperous. The reforms will help attract investment in agriculture and benefit farmers. the farmers”.
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A breakthrough in stalling controversial legislation is likely in the next 24 to 48 hours, Haryana’s Chief Deputy Minister Dushyant Chautala, a BJP ally, said on Saturday in a surprising claim. “I hope that the talks between the center and the farmers will be fruitful. I hope that in the next 24 to 48 hours, there will be a final round of talks and the two sides will reach a conclusive solution.” “was quoted by the ANI news agency.
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The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday (December 16) three petitions related to the farmers’ protest. One of the petitions, submitted by a Delhi student, says the protests are blocking emergency health services needed to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
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The second petition is related to the use of force on farmers in the middle of demonstrations, seeking compensation for them; while the third says that protesters should be allowed to enter Delhi.
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Earlier this week, protesters unanimously rejected the center’s written offer of amendments to farm laws and announced a series of plans to intensify their protest. A meeting with Amit Shah also failed to resolve the deadlock.
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Farmers say they want nothing less than the removal of the new laws. On Friday, the Bharatiya Kisan Union filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to repeal them. The high court has already sent notifications to the center about a number of petitions challenging the laws.
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Thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of Delhi since late November. They say the new laws will leave them at the mercy of companies, even as the government repeatedly claimed the laws bring much-needed reforms.
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Opposition leaders across the country have backed his protest, urging the government to reconsider the laws.
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