LIVE updates from farmers’ protest: This is not about taking retrograde measures against the agricultural sector, says Rajnath Singh

Farmers shout slogans during their protest against the new agricultural laws. PTI

Farmers protest LATEST UpdatesSpeaking at the 93rd annual general meeting of the FICCI, the Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that there is no question of taking retrograde measures against the agricultural sector. Rajnath claimed that the agricultural sector was the only one that was able to avoid the adverse effects of the pandemic. “Our products and acquisitions have been plentiful and our warehouses are full,” he said.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar called Arvind Kejriwal a hypocrite after Delhi’s chief minister announced that he will observe a fast today together with farmers’ leaders. Javadekar reminded him that the Delhi government had notified one of the agricultural laws in November.

Delhi police announced that the Gazipur border was closed for traffic from Ghaziabad to Delhi due to protests from farmers. Meanwhile, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, chairman of the BKU’s Haryana chapter, said that Amit Shah had said at the December 8 meeting that they cannot buy the 23 crops at MSP as it costs 17 million rupees, adding that the Center is “misleading all”.

The leaders of the Bhartiya Kisan (Ekta Ugrahan) Union, who had organized an event to demand the release of jailed activists last week, have decided to distance themselves from the call for a one-day hunger strike by 32 Punjab farmers’ unions.

Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh of negotiating the farmers’ protest to save his son from an ED case.

The leaders of the farmers’ organizations will observe a hunger strike on Monday and will hold demonstrations across the country, two days before the scheduled hearing of a statement against their meeting at the Delhi border in protest against agricultural laws.

In Punjab, farmers ‘unions will protest Monday in front of the Deputy Commissioners’ offices of all districts, Reliance Group shopping malls and fuel dispensers, and in front of the homes of BJP officials. The Rewari police have deployed around 400 policemen, including an RAF company, to arrest more farmers marching towards Delhi.

The hunger strike, which will run from 8 am to 5 pm, was supported by Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. “Tomorrow I will be doing a one-day fast in support of farmers’ protests. I call on AAP volunteers to join. The center must immediately accept all demands of farmers protesting the laws and present a bill to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP), “he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the Kejriwal government had “stabbed in the back” farmers by “blatantly” notifying one of the agricultural laws on 23 November. “And now, they are indulging in theatricality by announcing that they will be sitting fasting in support of the farmers’ hunger strike on Monday,” he said.

The Singhu border, where farmers have been gathering since late November, is likely to witness a traffic jam in which 10,000 protesters are expected to join those at the protest site. The times of India reported. At around 1:45 pm on Sunday, traffic on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway stopped in Jaisingh Khera as police prevented hundreds of Rajasthan farmers from moving further. The border was opened to vehicles coming from Delhi after 3.5 hours, according to officials.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the reforms “will help attract investment in agriculture,” Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said opposition parties propagandized against the new agricultural laws. “When reforms are undertaken, they will benefit farmers in the long term. But in the short term, some may have difficulties. We know that we cannot achieve any benefits without difficulties,” said the Union minister, who has held several rounds of negotiations with the farmers. representatives said PTI.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad warned against infiltration of “tukde tukde gang “and warned that strict action will be taken against them. Prasad said:” They are saying that they will not withdraw their movement unless and until these laws are withdrawn. We would like to say that the Narendra Modi government respects farmers, but we would like to make it clear that severe measures will be taken against the ‘tukde tukde gang’ that takes advantage of the farmers’ movement, “said Prasad. Meanwhile, MoS Agriculture Kailash Choudhury said he hopes that farmers come with a “positive outlook” to the next round of talks. “I hope that farmers come with a positive outlook to the next round of talks.” If farmers take two steps, then the government will too. it will take two steps forward, only then can a solution be reached, “he said.

On Sunday, the Delhi-Jaipur highway was closed for a few hours as farmers from Rajasthan and Haryana began marching towards the national capital. More than 4,000 policemen were deployed to Gurugran and Faridabad to stop the march.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) faction saw discord on Sunday over the opening of a highway from Noida to Delhi, a day after Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh, the organization’s president, met with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. . BKU (Bhanu) UP unit chief Yogesh Pratap, who has been conducting a sit-in on Chilla Street for the past 12 days, did not agree with the decision.

This is the second nationwide protest in less than a week after roads were blocked last Tuesday as part of a nationwide shutdown call backed by opposition parties and unions. Despite several rounds of talks with the government, farmers have said the protests will continue until new farm laws are removed.

Choudhary said Sunday that the government will soon decide a date and convene union leaders for the next round of talks. The previous five rounds of talks between the central government and representatives of 40 farmers’ unions were inconclusive. The sixth round of talks did not take place after peasant leaders rejected the government’s draft proposal to amend certain provisions of the agricultural laws and refused to participate in the meeting.

Nine-year-old Manipur climate activist Licypriya Kangujam was at the Singhu border to support the uproar. “Our farmers are the biggest victims of climate change. The government should resolve the current farmers’ crisis as soon as possible, ”he said. Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav and activist Medha Patkar were among those who arrived at the site in Shahjahanpur, where the Haryana police have blocked protesters from Rajasthan.