Plus farmers meeting in Ghazipur on the Delhi-Meerut highway, which has now become the new focal point of the uproar. Union leaders said protesters were also returning to the Singhu and Tikri borders from Punjab and Haryana, days after crowds had thinned after violence at the tractor rally on January 26.
The administration remained on high alert with internet services temporarily suspended at the Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders of the national capital, as well as in adjacent areas. Haryana has already suspended Internet services in 14 districts.
Security personnel, including those from riot police and paramilitary forces, were deployed in force. Multiple layers of barricades, including concrete blocks, were placed at the protest sites.
With garlands, the peasant leaders, who had asked to observe ‘Sadbhavana Diwas’ (Harmony Day) on Saturday after immense outrage at the violence of the protesters during their Republic Day tractor rally, sat on the stage during the fast, as the crowd of supporters increased. especially in Ghazipur, where the Bharatiya Kisan Union is leading the protest.
Rakesh tikait addressing supporters at the Ghazipur border
Addressing protesters in Ghazipur, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, whose emotional appeal had prompted farmers in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to flock to the protest site, said they have been fighting this battle for more than two months. and that “they will not yield or back down.”
“The movement was and is strong,” said BKU Meerut Zone President Pawan Khatana, a day after tens of thousands of politically sensitive western Uttar Pradesh farmers gathered in Muzaffarnagar to participate in a mahapanchayat. in a massive outpouring of support for the Bharatiya Kisan. Union-led protest.
Pankaj Pradhan, 52, head of the Charaura village in Bulandshahr, who arrived in the afternoon along with seven other people at the Ghazipur border protest site, was moved to remember the night of January 28.
“We were all awake, watching Tikait ji cry, some were glued to televisions, others on mobile phones, and we were all restless. I was also moved by the exams and the women were also moved. But, her tears touched a chord all of us, and it made them connect stronger with the movement, “he said.
Farmers also came from Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and other parts of Uttar Pradesh, many of whom addressed the crowd at the protest site.
Until now, the agitation was seen as being led primarily by Punjab-based farmers’ unions.
A multitude of green and white caps, symbols of the unions leading the battle, union flags and the tricolor, planted on tractors, dotted the road. On various tractors and camps, photos of legendary farmer leaders such as Chaudhary Charan Singh and Mahendra Singh Tikait have been posted.
Khatana, who is at the site of the rally with Tikait, said there has been continued support for the “peaceful protest” against farmers’ demand that the new agricultural laws be removed.
Farmers raise slogans on the Ghazipur border as they observe a hunger strike on the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s death
“This is not a political protest. Anyone who shares the ideology of the BKU and Rakesh Tikait is welcome here. But it is our appeal to those who do not wish to support the movement to the end please do not come just to come out in between,” he said. .
Various opposition parties, including Congress, TMC AAP, RLD, and the left, have openly supported the uproar.
Abhimanyu Kohar, a high-ranking member of Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, which is a body that brings together farmers’ unions, said the ongoing upheaval will gather steam as farmers join them in the coming days.
Anil Chaudhary, who also came from Bulandshahr, lamented what happened in the Red Fort and on the streets of Delhi on January 26, saying that “it hurt our morale.”
“But now we feel stronger, and Tikaitji’s tears brought me here. Every person in my village is touched by her emotional appeal. And our solidarity will only grow from here, even though the odds may stack against us.” , said. .
Peasant leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said in Chandigarh that he expects a record meeting for February 2 at the Delhi border points.
“Large numbers of people from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand are coming to the protest sites,” Rajewal said.
Union President Bharatiya Kisan (Rajewal) also condemned the violence in Delhi on Republic Day and said it was regrettable.
“Possibly by February 2, there will again be a record gathering of people at the protest sites,” he said, adding that the upheaval will remain peaceful.
Rajewal also criticized the Haryana government for suspending Internet services.
He accused the Center of instilling fear among people by showing images of the “regrettable incidents”, apparently alluding to the January 26 violence in the national capital.
Rajewal appealed to those who joined the agitation on the Delhi borders to keep up the peaceful protest.
“It is our responsibility to keep the unrest peaceful,” he stressed.
The peasant leader appealed to the Center to reject his “stubborn attitude” and withdraw the three agricultural laws.
When asked about the upcoming meeting between the protesting farmers and the government, he said: “When they call us, we will definitely go.”
To a question about joining the investigation after notifications issued by the Delhi Police To peasant leaders regarding the Republic Day violence, Rajewal said: “We will send you a response.”
INLD leader Abhay Chautala attends farmers’ protest on the Ghazipur border
Delhi police have sent the notices to some 20 peasant leaders, including Rajewal, about the violence during the farm tractor parade, asking why legal action should not be taken against them.
A team of forensic experts visited the Red Fort on Saturday, where protesters committed acts of vandalism, raised a religious flag and attacked police personnel, to gather evidence.
A strong security deployment continued at the site of the protest, including personnel from the Provincial Armed Police (PAC), Rapid Action Force (RAF) with anti-riot equipment and civilian police.
On Friday, police used tear gas and charging with batons to break up a confrontation between farmers and a large group of men claiming to be local residents on the Singhu border.
the Delhi Traffic Police said movement on National Highway 24 (Delhi-Meerut Expressway) has been stopped.
Apart from Delhi’s three borders, internet services will remain suspended in its adjacent areas from 11 pm on January 29 to 11 pm on January 31, an official from the Union Interior Ministry said.
The decision was made to “maintain public safety and avoid a public emergency” under the 2017 rules for the temporary suspension of telecommunications services (public emergency or public safety), the official said.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting on Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a repeal of the Trade in Agricultural Products and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Guarantee of Agricultural Prices and Services, 2020 and the Essential Products (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Protesting farmers have expressed fear that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of large corporations.
However, the government has argued that the new laws will provide better opportunities for farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.
.
