News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Farmers’ stir: Mobile internet suspension now extended only in seven Haryana districts

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Monday further extended the suspension of mobile internet services till 5 pm on February 2 in seven districts of the state “to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order” amid protests by farmers against three new farm laws that witnessed violence earlier this week.

    According to an official statement issued here, the Haryana government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), SMS services (only Bulk SMS) and all dongle services etc. provided on mobile networks except voice calls in seven districts — Kaithal, Panipat, Jind, Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Sonipat and Jhajjar till 5 pm on February 2.

    This order is issued to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of these districts of Haryana and shall be in force with immediate effect. Any person who will be found guilty of violation of aforesaid order will be liable for legal action under relevant provisions, it said.

    ALSO READ| Protesting farmers announce three-hour nationwide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6

    The suspension of mobile internet has not been extended in Ambala, Bhiwani, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Hisar, where it was suspended until 5 pm February 1. On Sunday, the government had also not extended suspension of mobile internet in Yamunanagar, Palwal and Rewari districts, where the mobile internet services were suspended until 5 pm of January 31.

    Commenting on the suspension of mobile internet services in some Haryana districts, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had on Sunday said the decision was taken in the wake of the situation which had built up following incidents of violence in the national capital on January 26.

    Khattar had said mobile internet had been suspended in some districts for a temporary period and will be restored once the law and order situation returns to normal. The government had on January 26 ordered the suspension of mobile internet services in Sonipat, Jhajjar and Palwal districts after a violent farmers’ protest rocked Delhi.

    On Friday, it had extended the suspension to some other districts. Thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the tractor rally in Delhi called by farmer unions on January 26 to highlight their demand for the repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws.

    Many protesters, driving tractors, reached the Red Fort and entered the monument. Some protesters even hoisted religious flags on its domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts, where the national flag is unfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day.

  • Protesting farmers announce three-hour nationwide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Farmer unions on Monday announced a countrywide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.

    Union leaders told a press conference at the Singhu Border here that they will block the roads between 12 pm to 3 pm on February 6. They also alleged that farmers have been “ignored” in the Union Budget 2021-22, and water and power supply have been curtailed at their protest venues.

    The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of protesting unions, also alleged that the Twitter accounts of Kisan Ekta Morcha and a user named ‘Tractor2Twitter’ have been restricted. Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav alleged the action against the Twitter account was taken on the “request of government authorities”.

    He also claimed that the Union government has “reduced the allocation to agriculture sector” in this budget.

  • 2021 Budget does not matter, only concerned about having farm laws repealed: Protesting farmers

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Farmers protesting at various sites on the border of Delhi on Monday unequivocally said they are only concerned about their common goal of having the three farm laws repealed, and what has been offered to the agriculture sector in the Union budget did not matter.

    At Singhu Border, most farmers were rather clueless about the Budget, saying they were “unable to access the internet” at the protest site, so couldn’t get to know the details. “Our demand was to increase the price of crops, not agriculture credit. This is a conspiracy to take away your land. Within 10-15 years, the corporate will take your land. The fight is for rate of crops, not for credit. They didn’t talk about MSP. There is nothing for farmers,” farmer leader Rakesh Tikait told PTI.

    “The administration has put barbed wires on three roads. They are stopping movement of vehicles towards Delhi, not us. We have been waiting to talk to the prime minister for the past seven years. PM Modi, give us your mobile number. We are ready to talk,” he added.

    ALSO READ| Farmers’ stir: Ghazipur turns fortress, nails cemented on roads leading to protest site

    Randhir Singh (48), from Kaithal district of Haryana, who has been camping there since December, said, “Our only goal right now is to see the three laws repealed. Union budget is not of immediate concern to us.”

    Pala Ram, also from the same village as Singh, echoed similar views. “Some people told me about the points made for the agriculture sector, but that is something, we are not worried about at the moment,” he said.

    Avtar Singh (65), from Punjab’s Patiala, said that the government should have offered ways to increase farmers’ income and not just credit target.

    ALSO READ| Farmers will not benefit from Union Budget 2021: Congress

    Ranjeet Raju, state president, Gramin Kisan Majdoor Samiti, Sri Ganga Nagar said, “If the government wants to help, they should take steps to increase farmers’ income, not by increasing agriculture credit target. This is like pushing farmers into the debt trap, which eventually leads to more farmer suicides. And micro-irrigation corpus, which I am told is doubled in this Budget, is something that goes to industries in the name of farmers.”

    “Farmers didn’t expect much from the present Budget. But were curious to know the funds marked for the agriculture sector.  were bereft of those details too this time,” said Jehangir (31), a farmer hailing from Bihar.

  • HC seeks Centre stand on PILs claiming misreporting of farmers protest on Republic Day

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response of the Centre on two PILs which have alleged that a certain media house has indulged in a “concocted”, “offensive and potentially fatal” attack on the Sikh community by circulating unverified videos regarding the Republic Day protest by farmers on their news platforms.

    A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Press Council of India (PCI), News Broadcaster Association (NBA) and a media house, seeking their stand on the two pleas by February 26.

    One petition has been moved by Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and the other by Delhi resident Manjit Singh G K, both claiming that the “vicious campaign directed against a particular community at a time when public sentiments are flared up could result in disastrous consequences, including endangering the lives, property and liberty of members of that community”.

    Dhindsa, the Shiromani Akali Dal MP, in his petition filed through advocate B S Bagga, and Manjit Singh, in his plea filed through advocate Parminder Singh Goindi, have contended that “allegations as made out in the said videos are absolutely untrue, baseless and a concoction of phantom imagination which bears no nexus to facts, whatsoever”.

    On what happened on Republic Day, the petitioners have claimed that “due to infiltration of the protests by certain anti-social and ill-motivated elements, the tractor rally was met by severe and brutal assaults by the police authorities and the anti-social and ill-motivated elements utilized the said opportunity to create ruckus amongst the public with the object of delegitimizing the protests”.

    They have claimed that the media house was showing a video in which one of its reporters was alleging that the protestors were involved in the destruction of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand tableaus which were featured on Republic Day.

    The petitioners have further alleged that “such a vilification campaign directed by the news channels to incite hatred against the ‘Sikh’ community is absolutely reprehensible and could give rise to a serious law and order situation in the country including creating stigma and banishment of the ‘Sikh’ community”.

  • MHA extends suspension of internet in Delhi’s three protests sites till Tuesday night

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the suspension of internet services at the farmer protest sites in Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders till Tuesday night, officials said.

    Apart from the three border points, where farmers have been protesting since November against the Centre’s three new farm laws, internet services will remain suspended in their adjoining areas too.

    The suspension is effective from 11 pm of January 31 to 11 pm of February 2.

    The decision has been taken to ‘maintain public safety and averting public emergency’ under Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017, a Home ministry official said.

    The suspension of internet services at the three border points and their adjoining areas was imposed at 11 pm on January 29 and was initially effective till 11 pm on January 31.

    Internet services were also temporary suspended in some parts of Delhi on January 26, when large scale violence was reported during the farmers’ tractor rally.

  • Maoists extend their support to farmers’ protest, hold Modi government responsible for Red Fort violence

    By Express News Service
    RAIPUR: As the farmers at the Delhi-UP borders continue their agitation against the Centre’s Farm Laws, the banned CPI (Maoist) has come forward to extend their support to the ongoing protest.  

    Three different outfits of the Maoists issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with the farmers and issued an appeal to continue the protest against the three farm laws of the Centre.

    The spokesperson of the Central Committee of CPI (Maoist) Abhay stated that the farmers’ agitation in Delhi and across the country reminds the then opposition to the Rowlatt Act of British India. He alleged “the central government is showing its stubborn attitude towards the plea of farmers”.

    Now the outlawed Maoists extend their support to the farmers’ protest @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/Y87rtAmTCv
    — Ejaz Kaiser (@KaiserEjaz) February 1, 2021

    The rebel organisations that cited the farmers’ tractor parade as “peaceful”, held the union government accountable for the march on Republic Day turning violent leading to uproarious scenes.

    Ranita Hichami, head of Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sanghathan Dandakaranya and Vijay Markam of Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan demanding withdrawal of the laws had alleged such ‘laws would favour the corporate companies’.

    The Maoists claimed that not just the farmers but around 80 per cent of the country’s population would be affected by the three new agriculture laws.

  • Beware of anti-social elements misusing farmers’ stir: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

    By PTI

    INDORE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday appealed to BJP workers to beware of those elements, who he said were purportedly carrying out anti-national and anti-social activities by misusing farmers’ agitations in Delhi.

    “BJP workers should develop an understanding to identify such people,” Chouhan is quoted as saying in a release while speaking at the first meeting of the newly-formed BJP state executive committee here. Chouhan said that a good understanding existed between the state government and the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. “The BJP is going to better its tally in the upcoming civic polls,” the CM said.

    During their January 26 parade, scores of protesters had stormed the Red Fort in Delhi, with some of them hoisting religious flags on its ramparts.

    Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and parts of UP have been protesting at Delhi’s borders for over two months now, 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 government has offered some concessions including keeping the new farm laws on hold for 1-1.5 years and the Supreme Court has set up a panel to look into the matter while keeping the contentious legislation in abeyance for two months.

    However, the agitating farmer unions have rejected both and intensified their stir.

  • Meghalaya governor Satya Pal Malik warns Centre not to suppress farmers’ movement

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday urged the Centre not to suppress the farmers’ movement but to listen to their concerns about the three farm laws passed during the last Monsoon Session of parliament. “I would warn that suppressing any issue in the world is not a solution. By pressing, it goes down for some time, but then it emerges with even bigger force,” the Governor told ANI.

    Recalling his journey from the agriculture fields to power corridors, Malik said he understood the cause of the farmers. “It is in the interest of the nation to find a speedy solution to this issue. I urge the government to listen to their concerns. Both sides should responsibly engage in talks,” the Meghalaya Governor said.

    ALSO READ| Farm laws a ‘fire’ which would lead to losses: Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait

    Showing towards farmers protesting at Delhi’s border area for over two months, Malik said the government show ‘greatness’ and solve the issue keeping the interest of farmers in mind. “The way farmers have been lying outside for 60 days, their family members moving back and forth between Delhi and their homes, the household work is stopped. The farmers have no sense of surety. The government has its own compulsions, but the government’s role is on top. The government has everything in its hands. It should solve this issue by showing greatness, and the interest of the farmer should be solved keeping the interest of farming in mind,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, Malik took a strong exception to the violence that happened on January 26 in Delhi during farmers’ tractor rally and said he is confident that those who violated law and order during tractor rally were not farmers.

    “On January 26, there were miscreants involved in violence. By and large farmers protest has been quiet that day. Farmers endured everything, they suffered, and they are not furious. I do not want to put them in that category. I will ask them to negotiate with intelligence with the government,” he added.

    When asked if he can act as a mediator between Centre and protesting farmers, Governor categorically denied it, saying the government would solve it by itself.

  • Farm laws a ‘fire’ which would lead to losses: Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait

    By PTI
    MUZAFFARNAGAR: Bharatiya Kisan Union national president Naresh Tikait has termed farm laws a “fire” (aag) which would lead to losses and has urged the Centre to repeal them. A video of Tikait speaking to reporters in Muzaffarnagar was shared on social media on Sunday.

    ALSO READ| Will honour PM’s dignity, but also protect farmers’ self-respect: Naresh Tikait

    In the video, he said, “Repeal this bill, this is a fire. This is a fire which will lead to many losses. (iss bill ko dabaa do, yeh aag hai, yeh bahut nuksaan ki aag hai). If the laws are repealed then the government does not stand to lose anything. The bills have put on hold for one-and-half years. Accept your fault, and hold talks.”

    इब के इन्होंने गलत जगह हाथ गेर दिया। माँगे माने बिना हम मानने वाले नहीं। लाठी-गोली कुछ भी चला लो, हम सीने पै गोली खाएंगे, पीठ दिखा के जाने वाले नहीं। इब यो किसान परिवार एकजुट हो लिया।आज बागपत महापंचायत का नज़ारा… pic.twitter.com/c76ge9RWVo
    — Naresh Tikait (@NareshTikait_) January 31, 2021

    Tikait also said, “In this government, Rajnath (Singh) jee is being humiliated (Rajnath jee ki tauheen ho rahi hai iss sarkaar mein). There is nothing in the control of our MPs, they are feeling afraid, and their sympathy is with the farmers.”

  • Farmers’ stir: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal meets Rakesh Tikait at Ghazipur border

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday met farmer leader Rakesh Tikait at Ghazipur border and presented him with a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour), as he assured his party’s support to the farmers movement.

    Badal said that Tikait had made the farming community proud by following the footsteps of his father Mahendra Singh Tikait, a towering farmer leader, a party statement said. “He reminisced about the joint battles of Mahendra Singh Tikait and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal for the welfare of the peasantry,” it said.

    Presented ‘siropa’ & ‘amrit’ from Sri Darbar Sahib, Sri Amritsar Sahib, to Kisan leader #RakeshTikait ji & assured @Akali_Dal_’s complete support. Tikait ji has done farming community proud by following in the footsteps of his father & towering farm leader Ch Mahender Tikait Ji. pic.twitter.com/AJz7HL6f4U
    — Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 31, 2021

    The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief also met the families of farmers whose next of kin had been missing since January 26, besides those whose relatives have been incarcerated for “supporting” the farmers’ protest, the statement said.

    Badal assured the families that SAD would take up their cases and ensure appropriate legal remedies were made available to them. He also requested his party’s Delhi unit chief Harmit Singh Kalka to establish a control room in the national capital to ensure that aggrieved families were given assistance as and when required.

    The SAD leader said the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee would also contest all such cases free of cost even as he assured the families that a committee of lawyers had been established in Chandigarh and across all districts in Punjab to ensure a coordinated effort in this direction.

    ALSO READ| Republic Day violence: Delhi Police sends over 50 fresh notices to people including farmer leaders

    He requested all political parties to leave aside petty differences and unite for the greater cause of the peasantry. He said it was now clear that farmers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh besides those from different parts of the country had formed a united front. “We must strengthen this front further to ensure that the ‘kisan andolan’ is a resounding success,” Badal added.

    Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi borders, 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 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 Centre has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.