News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Not so vocal on unrest, Javadekar targets Congress

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Top ministers of the Central government and senior functionaries of the BJP were quiet, a day after the Republic Day unrest in Delhi. Prakash Javadekar — minister of environment, heavy industries, information and broadcast — was the only one to speak to the media. Criticising the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, he said the window of discussions with the farmers had never closed.

    “We never said we will not talk to the farmers’ unions,” Javadekar said, while briefing reporters about Cabinet decisions. Not taking questions on Tuesday’s incidents, he said: “We also have the same sense as you all have (on the incidents). Delhi Police in its briefing will give the answers.”

    Farmers dismantle their tents at Chilla border after BKU-Bhanu called off strike | PARVEEN NEGI

    Javadekar’s stoic stance on the incidents was in line with the government and BJP leaders, who have by and large refrained from public comments. “It’s for the police to take appropriate actions against the culprits who unleashed violence during the tractor rally. They have demonstrated that they have been politically motivated. They don’t have popular sympathy,” said a senior BJP functionary.

    However, Javadekar was vocal against the Congress, alleging that Rahul has always tried to provoke protestors and denounced violence only after it had drawn nationwide condemnation. “The Congress wants to create a situation of unrest in the country. This is what is left of their politics. It is worried about what will happen to its family-based politics.” 

    Referring to tweets from some Congress handles, which praised the rally on Wednesday, and also to remarks of some farmer leaders made earlier, Javadekar noted that nearly 400 police personnel had been injured. “The Congress is desperate and frustrated. The Communist parties are also in the same state.

    The Congress knows it and does not want any resolution to be reached between protesting farmer unions and the government. These parties want violence and unrest at any cost so that they can exploit it,” he said.

    The Punjab government also came in for criticism, as Javadekar said that it should have arrested criminal elements as a preventive measure before scores of people set off for Delhi on tractors. 

  • Amit Shah must be sacked for allowing violence in Delhi during tractor parade: Congress

    The Congress also accused the Modi government of being part of a concerted conspiracy to malign the farmers #39; agitation by allowing some miscreants to enter the Red Fort complex.

  • Shiromani Akali Dal reiterates support to farm stir, but says ‘won’t tolerate attack on Constitution’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day after violence in the farmers’ tractor march, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday said it will not tolerate any attempt of attack on the democratic institutions or the Constitution of India by those who wish to subvert this just struggle of the country’s farmers.

    While reiterating its support to farmers’ demand for repealing the three farm laws, the SAD in a statement issued by its leader and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral said,”We appeal to the protesters to remain peaceful, non-violent and disciplined. We will strongly raise the voice of our farmers in the upcoming Parliament Session.”

    The statement from SAD, an erstwhile ally of the ruling BJP and a constituent of the NDA government, came a day after tens of thousands of farmers broke barriers to storm the national capital on Tuesday, during their tractor parade to highlight their demands.

    ALSO WATCH:

    Unprecedented scenes of anarchy highlighted the farmers’ tractor rally on the occasion of Republic day as they and police got into scuffles.

    A group of farmers’ hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort, a privilege reserved for India’s tricolour.

    The SAD has been opposing the three farm laws and its MP and then minister in the Narendra Modi government had resigned from the government during the passage of bills from Lok Sabha.

    Later, the party also ended its decades old alliance with BJP and moved out of the ruling NDA.

  • Uttarakhand on high alert post tractor rally violence in Delhi

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government has issued a high alert in the four districts of the state following rumours that the farmer who died during the tractor rally violence in Delhi on Republic Day belonged to the state. 

    Later, it turned out that the farmer belongs to the Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh which is adjacent to the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand. 

    DGP Ashok Kumar said, “Instructions have been issued to the officials concerned to maintain strict vigil across the state. We are committed to maintaining law and order and will perform our duties to the best of our abilities.”

    Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat held a high-level meeting with the Chief Secretary, DGP, Home Secretary, and other officials late on Tuesday evening following which the police issued a high alert in Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun, Haridwar, and Nainital districts.

    “Any kind of violence has no place in our country. Some anti-social elements in the name of farmers in Delhi went on a rampage. Such violence cannot be done by our ‘Annadata’ farmers. Those responsible should be brought to justice,” said the CM.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various places at the Delhi border since November 26 against the 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. 

    Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Youth Congress Tweeted: “Farmers won the Red Fort. Inqalab Zindabad” drawing flak from the BJP. The Tweet was deleted later. 

    Devendra Bhasin, spokesperson of the Uttarakhand BJP unit said, “Now it is clear that Indian National Congress has joined hands with anti-social elements. Such violence in the name of farmers is unacceptable. The Tweet by the Youth Congress reflects the mentality of the party.”

  • Two farmer unions withdraw from agitation against farm laws over R-Day violence

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Two farmer unions on Wednesday withdrew from the ongoing agitation on Delhi’s borders against the three farm laws, a day after violence broke out in the national capital during the tractor parade.

    Talking to reporters, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) president Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh said he was deeply pained by whatever happened during the tractor parade in the national capital, adding that his union was ending its protest.

    The union was staging the protest at the Chilla border.

    READ| Top farmers’ union leaders named in Delhi police FIR over R-Day violence

    VM Singh of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee said that it is withdrawing from the ongoing agitation as they cannot carry forward a protest with someone “whose direction is something else”.

    The tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the city as tens of thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag on the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

  • BJP planted stooge Deep Sidhu to create chaos in tractor rally: AAP

    Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu has been blamed by the farmer union leaders and politicians for inciting violence during the tractor rally.

  • Over 550 Twitter accounts suspended after violence during farmers’ Republic Day tractor rally

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Twitter on Wednesday suspended over 550 accounts from its platform in connection with the violence during the farmers’ tractor rally in the national capital on the 72nd Republic Day.

    A Twitter spokesperson told ANI that the platform has also labelled tweets which were found to be in violation of its “synthetic and manipulated media policy”.

    “We have taken strong enforcement action to protect the conversation on the service from attempts to incite violence, abuse, and threats that could trigger the risk of offline harm by blocking certain terms that violate our rules for trends, the spokesperson said.

    “Using a combination of technology and human review, Twitter worked at scale and took action on hundreds of accounts and Tweets that have been in violation of the Twitter Rules, and suspended more than 550 accounts engaged in spam and platform manipulation,” the spokesperson told ANI.

    ALSO READ: Top farmers’ union leaders named in Delhi police FIR over R-Day violence

    The microblogging platform said that it had applied labels to tweets that were found to be in violation of synthetic and manipulated media policy.

    “We are monitoring the situation closely and remain vigilant, and strongly encourage those on the service to report anything they believe is in violation of the rules,” the Twitter spokesperson said.

    Farmers broke through barricades to enter Delhi and resorted to vandalism across several parts of the national capital during their Kisan tractor rally against the Centre’s three new farm laws on January 26.

    Several public and private properties were damaged in acts of vandalism by the mob. A total of 22 FIRs have been registered regarding the violence, in which over 300 police personnel were injured.

    Delhi Police has detained 200 people in connection with the violence.

    Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 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. 

  • Rahul cites Mahatma, appeals to Modi govt to repeal farm laws immediately

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day after violence during the farmers’ tractor rally in the national capital, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appealed to the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday to repeal, what he claimed were, “anti-agriculture” laws.

    Taking to Twitter, he also shared a quote by Mahatma Gandhi — “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.

    ” “Once again, I appeal to the Modi government that the anti-agriculture laws be taken back immediately,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    His appeal to the government came a day after tens of thousands of farmers broke barriers to storm the national capital as their tractor parade to highlight their demand of repealing the laws dissolved into unprecedented scenes of anarchy.

    Deviating from the designated route for the tractor parade, protesting farmers also hoisted flags from some domes as well as the flagpole at the Red Fort, the centrepiece of India’s Independence Day celebrations, to hoist the Nisan Sahib, the Sikh religious flag.

    As protesting farmers clashed with police at several places in Delhi, Gandhi said on Tuesday that violence is not the solution to any problem and sought repeal of the three farm laws in “national interest”.

  • Farmers’ tractor parade: Plea in SC seeks inquiry commission to look into violence on Republic Day

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A plea was filed on Wednesday in the Supreme Court seeking setting up of a commission, headed by a retired apex court judge, to inquire the violence during the protesting farmers’ tractor rally in the national capital on the Republic Day.

    The plea has also sought direction to the concerned authority to lodge First Information Report (FIR) under relevant penal provisions against the individuals or organisations responsible for the violence and causing dishonour of the National Flag on January 26.

    The tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight the demands of farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws dissolved into anarchy on the streets of Delhi as thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with the police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

    Delhi Police has registered 22 FIRs so far in connection with the violence in which over 300 policemen were injured, officials said on Wednesday.

    The plea, filed in the apex court by advocate Vishal Tiwari, has said that a three-member inquiry commission under the chairmanship of a former top court judge and comprising of two retired high court judges should be set up for collecting and recording evidence in the matter and submit a report to the court in a time bound manner.

    It said that farmers’ protest against the three new agri laws is going on for over two months but it took a “violent turn” during the tractor parade.

    “Unfortunately, the tractor march took a violent turn leaving injuries and destruction of public property. This incident also effected the daily life of the public. The internet services were interrupted as government ordered the operators to suspend the same  In the present time, the internet services are very essential to carry out the work in different professions especially in advocacy as the courts and our Supreme Court of India is functioning online,” Tiwari has said in his plea.

    The petition said that clash between the farmers and police on the Republic Day has caught the attention of the entire world.

    “The matter is serious because when the protest was going on peacefully for last two months then suddenly, how it turned into violent movement and led violence on January 26. The question for consideration in national security and public interest arises that who is responsible for creating the disturbance and how and who turned the peaceful farmer protest into violent movement or how and who created the circumstances which let the protest turn violent,” it said.

    “The blames are from both sides and the matter is to be inquired by an independent agency i. e by setting up an inquiry commission under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court Judge,” the plea said.

    It said there may be some conspiracy by some “notorious forces or organizations” to cause disturbance and damage the peaceful protest and create clash between police and protesting farmers.

    On January 20, the Centre had withdrawn its application seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march on January 26 after the apex court had said that issue of tractor rally by farmers protesting against the new farms laws was in “executive domain”.

    The Centre, through Delhi Police, had filed an application seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor or trolley march or any other kind of protest which seeks to disrupt the Republic Day gathering and celebrations.

    On January 12, the apex court had stayed the implementation of the contentious new farm laws till further orders and constituted a four-member committee to make recommendations to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers’ unions protesting at Delhi borders.

    The members of the court-appointed committee were — Bhupinder Singh Mann, National President of Bhartiya Kisan Union, All India Kisan Coordination Committee; Parmod Kumar Joshi, Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute; Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and Anil Ghanwat, President of Shetkari Sanghatana.

    Later, Mann had recused himself from the committee.

    The top court had on January 12 said it would hear the pleas against the farm laws after eight weeks when the committee would give its suggestions to resolve the impasse after talking to the protesters and the government.

    Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now against the three laws — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.

    Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers’ income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and “mandi” (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

    The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out a repeal of the laws.

  • BKU distances itself from violence, Red Fort incident during farmers’ tractor rally

    By ANI
    GHAZIABAD: Bhartiya Kisan Union Rakesh spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday distanced himself from the violence and Red Fort incident during farmers’ tractor rally on the Republic Day, stating that those who created violence and unfurled flags at the fort will have to pay for their deeds.

    Speaking to ANI, Tikait alleged that “uneducated people” were driving tractors who did not know the paths of Delhi.

    ALSO READ | Farmers’ union calls meeting to discuss violence during tractor parade in Delhi

    “Uneducated people were driving tractors, they did not know the paths of Delhi. Administration told them the way towards Delhi. They went to Delhi and returned home. Some of them unknowingly deflected towards Red Fort. Police guided them to return and they returned,” Tikait said.

    “Those who created violence and unfurled flags at Red Fort will have to pay for their deeds. For the last two months, a conspiracy is going on against a particular community. This is not a movement of Sikhs, but farmers. Our issues remain the same and our protest will continue,” he added.

    ALSO READ | Of tractors and detractors: BJP top brass silent on rally that turned unruly

    On Tuesday, protesters agitating against the new farm laws entered the premises of Red Fort in the national capital and waved flags they were carrying from its ramparts.

    Commenting on the allegations of farmer unions that Punjabi actor-singer-activist Deep Sidhu directed youth to move towards the Red Fort, he said, “Deep Sidhu is not a Sikh, he is a worker of the BJP. There is a picture of him with the Prime Minister. This is a movement of farmers and will remain so. Some people will have to leave this place immediately- those who broke barricading will never be a part of the movement.”

    On being asked about the viral video where Tikait was seen appealing to his supporters to be armed with lathis, the BKU spokesperson said, “We said bring your own sticks. Please show me a flag without a stick, I will accept my mistake.”

    An undated video of Tikait gone viral wherein he is seen asking and appealing to his supporters to be armed with lathis and be prepared to save their land.

    A total of 22 FIRs have been registered in different police stations across the national capital in connection with the violence which broke out during yesterday’s farmers’ tractor rally. According to sources in the Delhi Police, the process of filing the FIRs started last night and “over 300 Delhi Police personnel were injured during the farmers’ tractor violence at different locations in the national capital.”

    A day after the violence broke out during a tractor rally in various parts of the national capital, security has been heightened at the Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border), and Tikri border, where farmers have been protesting against agricultural laws for over two months. A large number of security forces has been deployed at the protest site.

    Farmers broke barricades to enter Delhi and indulged in vandalism across several parts of the national capital during their Kisan tractor rally organised to protest against the Centre’s three new farm laws. Several public and private properties being damaged in acts of vandalism by the rioting mob.

    Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 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.