News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Rail roko: ‘Will burn crops but continue stir’, says BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

    By Express News Service
    There was no violence or untoward incident, but the nationwide ‘rail roko’ programme called by the farmer unions in protest against agri laws saw some disruptions in train services in a few states. Services were affected as farmers blocked tracks in Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal from 12 noon to 4 pm.

    In most other states, the rail roko call received a lukewarm response. While farmer leaders claimed the four-hour stir was peaceful and a big success, the railways claimed it had negligible impact. “A few trains were stopped in some areas but operations are normal now,” a railway spokesperson said. Farmer leaders reiterated the agitation will continue.

    ALSO READ| Rail roko will be peaceful, will not join politics: BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

    “Even if you have to set your standing crop on fire, you should be prepared for it. The government should not be under any misconception that farmers will soon leave the protest sites to harvest crops. If they insist, then we will burn our crops. The government should not think that protest will end in two months. We will harvest our crops as well as protest… There will be no ‘ghar wapsi’ till then,” Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait told a mahapanchayat in Hisar.

    Tikait advised the farmers to “keep your tractors filled with fuel and facing towards Delhi” saying “you can get a call to move at any time”.

    No big impact on train operations

    The railways said the agitation passed off without any untoward incident and there was negligible orminimal impact 

  • Farmers participate with vigour in ‘rail roko’; railways says impact negligible

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Agitating farmer groups on Thursday held a four-hour nationwide ‘rail roko’ agitation with the railways saying there was negligible impact on services though some trains were stopped by officials at stations as a precautionary measure.

    In Punjab and Haryana, farmers at several places squatted on railway tracks which led to disruption in normal movement of trains on some routes.

    Protests were also staged at some places in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka in response to the call by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the agitation against the three farm laws.

    However, in many states, it was a low-key affair.

    The SKM called the blockade “peaceful and successful”.

    In a statement, it claimed trains were stopped between 12 pm and 4 pm at “hundreds of locations” across the country.

    “Anger among farmers is intensifying and the central government will have to repeal the laws,” it said.

    The All India Kisan Sabha also claimed the agitation received “massive response across the country”, adding some activists were arrested in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana.

    “The massive success of the rail roko struggle is a warning to the Modi government.

    ALSO READ | Narendra Singh Tomar in poll-bound Assam; says centre is still willing to talk to farmers on agri laws

    The farmers across the country have expressed their determination to continue the struggle till the demands are met with,” the Sabha said in a statement.

    A railway spokesperson said the agitation passed off without any untoward incident and there was negligible or minimal impact on running of the trains across the country.

    Trains began running normally across the country within an hour after the blockade ended, he said.

    Earlier, around 25 trains were regulated by the Railways due to the agitation.

    “Majority of the zones have reported not a single case of any stoppage of train by the agitators.

    Few trains were stopped in some areas of some Railway zones but now train operation is normal and trains are being operated smoothly.

    While dealing with the Rail roko agitation, utmost patience was exercised by all concerned,” he said.

    The railways deployed 20 additional companies of the RPSF across the country, especially in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Farmer groups congregated in Haryana’s Ambala, Kurukshetra and Charkhi Dadri railway stations, according to officials.

    In Kurukshetra, some protesters climbed atop the Gita Jayanti Express train, which was stationary at that time, resulting in some delay.

    In Punjab, protesters sat on tracks at many places on the Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar railway route, officials said.

    Farmers also blocked the Jalandhar Cantt-Jammu railway track in Jalandhar and besides a rail track in Mohali district, they said.

    The Ferozepur division of the Northern Railways decided to halt trains at stations so that passengers face less inconvenience during the ‘rail roko’ protest.

    In Rajasthan, officials said that the Rewari-Sri Ganganagar special train was the only train cancelled due to the agitation, while few others were delayed.

    In West Bengal too, stray incidents were reported across the state with little or no effect on rail services.

    ALSO READ | Rail roko: Asked to end agitation, farmers feed sweets, shower UP Police with flowers in Ghaziabad

    In Maharashtra, members of several organisations and workers of political parties, including Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP, Janata Dal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), also took part in the rail roko agitation at the Pune railway station, labour welfare activist Nitin Pawar said.

    The protesters blocked the Koyna Express and shouted slogans by standing in front of trains, he said.

    At least 12 people were detained at Lasur station, around 40 km from Aurangabad, an official said.

    “The Jalna-Mumbai Janshatabdi train was stopped at the station for around 30 minutes.

    We have detained around 12 agitators and further probe is underway,” the official from the railway police said.

    In Bengaluru, the protest was low-key but there was a good turnout of protesters in Raichur, Belagavi and Davangere.

    In Raichur, Belagavi and Davangere, some protesters were arrested, sources said.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed their apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

  • Proof that protest not limited to Punjab and Haryana: Farmers on ‘rail roko’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: With farmers on Thursday blocking railway tracks across the country, at stations big and small, protesters at Singhu said it proves that the agitation is not just limited to Punjab and Haryana.

    “The government has constantly been saying that the protest against the three farm laws is being staged by the farmers of just two states, Punjab and Haryana, but the rail roko andolan shows that the government is wrong.

    “Farmers from so many states have participated. That is why it was important for us to protest on the railway tracks.

    Like the railways that has a nationwide network, our protest is also happening across the country,” Krantikari Kisan Union’s Gurdaspur district president Bhajan Singh said.

    Besides multiple railway stations across Punjab and Haryana, the “rail roko” protest was also staged at different places in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, among others.

    According to another farmer leader, Amrik Singh, it was one of the many ways the protesters wanted to show their strength to the government.

    “The three laws need to be repealed and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha is trying to put pressure on the government from every angle.

    But we have been protesting peacefully and will continue to do so,” the Jalandhar state unit president of the BKU (Kadia), said.

    He added that the “rail roko” event was limited to four hours because the farmers “only wanted to send a message to the government and not inconvenience the public”.

    “We do not want to create problems for the passengers.

    We only want the government to accept our demands, so that they can also sleep peacefully and we can return home to our families,” he said.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed their apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

    Many farmers at the Singhu border protest site said their family members were sitting on railway tracks back in their villages.

    “Through today’s event, the entire country is awakening. It shows that our demand is the country’s demand. We are positive that we will resolve this, whether it takes two months or four,” Jairam Singh from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur said.

    He said while he had come all the way to Singhu to join the agitation, his family members, including his wife and brother, were sitting on railway tracks back in Desuya.

    Aman Sahota and Vivek Syal, also from Hoshiarpur, shared similar stories of family members participating in the “rail roko” event back home in Tanda and Jalandhar.

    “We will be peaceful, but we will protest. Nothing can stop us,” Sahota said.

    Asked about the challenges of continuing with the protest in the impending summer heat, he said arrangements for generators and air-coolers are being made.

    “Heat is a very small factor, especially when there is a threat to our basic survival. These laws impact our ability to feed ourselves.

    “We are prepared to face the Delhi heat too. Arrangements for 10,000 air-coolers and generators to run those are being made.

    We are not moving from here unless the three laws are taken back,” Sahota said.

  • No permission given for Tikait’s rally: Yavatmal collector

    By PTI
    NAGPUR: Amid growing number of coronavirus cases, the administration in eastern Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district has not yet given permission for a ‘Maha Panchayat’ of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on February 20.

    “Looking at the increase in coronavirus cases over the last two days, the Superintendent of Police has given a report that permission should not be given,” Yavatmal Collector M D Singh said.

    “Also, we have ordered lockdown in the district from tonight, so we have not given permission for the rally,” he told PTI.

    ALSO READ | Rail roko will be peaceful, will not join politics: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait

    Tikait, one of the leaders of farmers’ agitation against the new farm laws on Delhi borders, was scheduled to address the rally at Azad Maidan ground in Yavatmal city on Saturday.

    In Nagpur, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha leaders Shrikanth Taral and Sandip Gidde, organizers of the Maha Panchayat, said they have applied to the administration for permission afresh and promised to follow all norms for COVID-19 prevention.

  • Rail roko: Protesting farmers sit on tracks in Punjab, Haryana; officials stop trains at stations

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Farmers on Thursday sat on railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana as part of the ‘rail roko’ protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, with officials stopping trains at stations as a precautionary measure.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest, last week had announced the nationwide rail blockade to press for its demand to repeal the legislations and had said that the agitation will be from 12 pm to 4 pm.

    In Punjab, protesters sat on tracks at many places on the Delhi-Ludhiana-Amritsar railway route, officials said.

    Farmers blocked the Jalandhar Cantt-Jammu railway track in Jalandhar and in Mohali district also farmers blocked a rail track, they said.

    In Haryana, protesting farmers, including women, squatted on rail tracks at many places, including in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Panchkula districts, the officials said.

    On the Ambala-Delhi railway section, a group of farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader from Ambala, Gulab Singh, squatted on a rail track at  Shahpur village, about 2 kilometres from the Ambala Cantt station.

    “Our protest will continue in a peaceful manner till the farm laws are repealed,” Singh said.

    Security has been tightened in both Haryana and Punjab with personnel of the government railway police and the state police forces being deployed, officials said.

    The Ferozepur division of the Northern Railways has decided to halt trains at stations so that passengers face less inconvenience during the ‘rail roko’ protest.

    The officials said that the movement of trains is likely to be delayed because of the farmers’ rail blockade.

    Train services will be resumed after following due security protocols once the agitation is over, they said.

    In Haryana, besides railway police personnel, the Haryana Police has deployed its staff in large numbers near the protest sites and at various railway stations.

    Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala Division, G M Singh said that no train has been cancelled in view of the ‘rail roko’ agitation.

    Four trains were scheduled to pass from Ambala between 12 to 4 pm, railway officials said.

    Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) members will block railway tracks at 22 places, including at Nabha, Mansa, Barnala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Jalandhar and Tarn Taran, in Punjab, the organisation’s general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

    PTI CHS SUN ANB ANB 02181316 NNNN

  • Rail roko will be peaceful, will not join politics: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait

    By ANI
    GHAZIABAD: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said that ‘rail roko’, the blockade of trains as part of protests against farm laws, will be done in a peaceful manner and food and refreshments provided to people stranded due to the protest. He also stated that he will not join politics as he considers it “a big disease”.

    “Rail roko protest will begin at 12 pm and go on till 3-4 pm. Trains are not plying anyway. It’ll be done peacefully. We’ll provide water, milk, lassi and fruits to people who are stranded. We will inform them about our issues,” he said.

    “Today we have two rallies in Hisar and I am going there. I am going to a rally in Mumbai tomorrow. We will hold rallies all over the country. Farmers are suffering everywhere. The only way to get rid of the problems is to give legal backing to MSP,” he said.

    He also condemned the violence that happened at Red Fort on January 26 and said that Bharatiya Kisan Union has no connection with those responsible.

    Speaking about his upcoming visit to West Bengal and the extension of the agitation to West Bengal, he said: “We will talk to farmers there. Their crops are not being sold at MSP. We have got nothing to do with elections.”

    He dismissed any possibility of him entering the political arena. “Politics is a big disease, I will stay away from it,” he said. In view of the protest, Railways has deployed 20 additional companies of the Railway Protection Special Force across the country with a focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

  • Farmers’ 4-hour nationwide ‘rail roko’ program today, Samyukta Kisan Morcha appeals for peaceful protest

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Farmers’ organisations will hold a nationwide ‘rail roko’ program for 4 hours on Thursday as they continue their protest against the central farm laws.

    Jagtar Singh Bajwa, spokesperson of the Kisan Andolan Committee, Ghazipur border said they will carry out a peaceful protest during the ‘Rail Roko’ program on February 18 from 12 noon to 4 pm.

    We will offer refreshments to the passengers to avoid inconvenience, he said.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a peaceful protest, expecting to get support for the program from across the country.

    “Appeal to everyone for a peaceful protest in nationwide ‘Rail Roko’ program on February 18 from 12 noon to 4 pm,” it said.

    The SKM demanded that the government should resolve the farmers’ issues immediately without any further delay.

    “Samyukt Kisan Morcha took note of the high-level meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of JP Nadda with elected party leaders and others from Haryana, UP, Punjab and Rajasthan, along with Cabinet and other Ministers like Amit Shah, Narendra Singh Tomar, Sanjeev Baliyan and others,” read a release by Darshan Pal of the SKM.

    “It is clear that instead of resolving the ongoing struggle’s demands, BJP is trying its best to counter and destroy it. SKM condemns this attitude of the ruling party and demands that the government resolve the farmers’ issues immediately without any further delay. SKM vows that it will intensify the struggle and mobilise more farmers in its support,” it said.

    The SKM also condemned an alleged attack by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) “goons” on a peaceful protest organised by the All India Krishak Khet Majdoor Sangathan in Muzaffarpur on Wednesday.

    In view of the protest, Railways has deployed 20 additional companies of the Railway Protection Special Force across the country with a focus on Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

    Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

  • Farmers will not return home till they win: BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni

    By PTI
    SAMBHAL: The Bharatiya Kisan Union is fighting for farmers’ rights and they will not return home from Delhi’s borders till the new agri laws are repealed, the farm organisation’s Haryana president Gurnam Singh Chaduni said on Wednesday.

    He also said the union will hold programmes, such as panchayats and mahapanchayats, to make the country aware that the government at the Centre is “not for the people but of corporates”.

    Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi’s borders against the legislations since November 28 last year and demanding these be repealed.

    “We are fighting for the rights of farmers and they will not return home till they win, and time does not matter in this struggle,” Chaduni, who was on his way to Moradabad for a mahapanchayat, told reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Gelua village.

    “This government is not for the people but of corporates and only people can fight with it. We will hold panchayats in the entire country and make people aware and associate them with us,” he said, a day ahead of a “rail roko” announced by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest.

    Chaduni alleged that the entire agri business was being given to corporates and said the farmers’ movement was for their “survival”.

    “Agriculture is our livelihood and not our business. The food grains of the country will go into godowns of corporates and they will indulge in black marketing. This is an ‘andolan’ (movement) not only of farmers but of all,” he said.

    Farmers are protesting against the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The three farm laws, enacted in September last year, have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

    However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

    The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain.

  • Farmers’ stir: Crowds at Delhi borders thinning, but protesters’ spirits remain high

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: The tents that had popped up on the service roads along the Delhi-Meerut Expressway across the police barricades at Ghazipur are slowly getting dismantled. The lines of tractors parked on roadsides are also getting shorter. The crowds gathered are thinning with every passing day.

    With sowing season of the sugarcane crop commencing in western Uttar Pradesh and the movement against the three agri laws being taken to the interiors by farmer leaders who are holding kisan panchayats in the rural parts of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states, the hustle and bustle at Delhi’s borders is also getting quieter.

    “When we had to show our strength, we did. Now, as we are gearing up for a long haul, managing our crops and continuing food supply is a priority. Whenever required, more people will gather again…If the government does not care, we will have to care about our own brethren,” said Pramod Kumar who, along with five others, has brought 14 quintals of rice and wheat flour to be distributed among the 55 ‘bhandaras’ (community kitchens). 

    The absence of Rakesh Tikait is clearly visible, as he is busy touring north India garnering support. Many farmers are visiting the protest site during daytime and leaving by night.  At the main stage set up on the expressway, which was once on the verge of collapsing as people thronged to meet Tikait, there are only a few people occasionally raising the ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ slogan. Police personnel can be seen chatting with the farmers and even having food at the bhandaras, which was not the case till about 9-10 days ago.

    At the Singhu and Tikri borders, too, the crowds have thinned. But farmer leaders say this is just a temporarily lull and the people will return by the coming weekend. Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary of BKU (Lakhowal) says, “Due to marriage season, many have gone back to their villages… I myself have come to village to attend my nephew’s wedding but will be back at Singhu border is next two to three days.” 

    There were many who had come solely to participate in the Republic Day tractor parade. They have gone back home, not the others, he asserted. Sukhdev Singh of BKU (Ugrahan) denied that the protest was fizzling out and claimed it’s instead going beyond Delhi borders and spreading to the entire country.

  • Crowds thin at Singhu, Tikri, but farmer leaders say movement stronger than ever

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As the farmers’ stir against three new agriculture laws of the Centre inches towards the three-month mark, crowds at the major protest sites — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders — visibly appear to be thinning, but the leaders maintain that their movement is now stronger than ever.

    Even as the “langars” and tents at Delhi’s borders appear vacant, the farmer leaders insist that the crowd is merely shifting from one spot to another to mobilise more people to join the movement.

    “The crowd is not thinning at all. We are simply trying to decentralise the movement and mobilise people in villages and districts, and not just in Punjab and Haryana.

    “If creating a wave in Punjab took a few months, creating a similar impact in the entire country will take a little more time, but our movement is not losing steam.

    In fact, from our perspective, it is only strengthening by the day,” Avtar Singh Mehma of the Krantikari Kisan Union (Punjab) said on Tuesday.

    ALSO READ | To drum up support for farmers’ stir, peasant leaders to hold meetings in West Bengal too

    He said many farmers have been travelling back and forth between their homes and the borders of the national capital as they have to manage their farms as well, but the strength of the protesters at the borders has remained “more or less steady” and the numbers are only expected to increase after the “chakka jam” of February 18.

    “The Samyukt Kisan Morcha is strategising to keep the count stable at the borders, while allowing the protesters to manage work at home, but the number of people at the borders will only increase after February 18.

    “Very soon, we will also call farmers from all over the country to join us on a march to Delhi on foot,” Mehma said.

    Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at multiple border points of Delhi to protest against the three farm laws, which they claim will do away with the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

    The organisation of “mahapanchayats” across Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to garner support for the stir has also resulted in the thinning of the crowd at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders.

    “Many people from Singhu came along with me when I went to Karnal for the mahapanchayat and they stayed back.

    We are also going to mobilise people from places such as Rajasthan’s Sikar and regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh, but this is just a temporary phenomenon.

    ALSO READ | Farmers’ protest: Sedition law cannot be invoked to quieten disquiet, says Delhi court

    The crowd will be back in full force after February 18,” Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Dakaunda), said.

    “People want to be part of the mahapanchayats, especially when leaders like (Rakesh) Tikait are speaking, so they move to specific locations to join the programme, but that does not mean that they are going back.

    They are simply relocating,” Paramjit Singh, general secretary of the BKU (Lakhowal), said.

    He said the protesters are taking turns to come to the major protest sites, so that all farmers can participate in the movement and take care of their households simultaneously.

    “For instance, if 10 people from my village come to the Delhi borders, they will stay for seven to 10 days, and then, 10 other people from the village will come and relieve them.

    “But our resolve has only strengthened and we will not let the movement fizzle out at any cost.

    We will continue with this agitation until our demands are met,” he added.

    With the discussions with the government still making no headway, the farmers are prepared to take their movement well into the summer heat.

    “The government thinks that we will not be able to bear the heat and go back, but we have been receiving help from different organisations and our NRI friends. We will continue to get that. And tents and coolers will be arranged to beat the heat,” Paramjit Singh said.

    The recent municipal polls in Punjab could also be a reason that the number of people at the key protest sites seems slightly reduced, he said, adding, “Some people did go back home to cast their votes, but they will return very soon.”

    According to Jagmohan Singh, the heightened police security at the border points of the national capital could have discouraged the protesters who were coming from the Delhi side of the borders to participate in the agitation.

    “Many people coming from the Delhi side of the borders have been facing enquiries by the police, which discourages them,” he said.