News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Farmers to take out ‘tractor rally’ today as R-Day rehearsal

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Farmers’ unions on Wednesday said they will hold a march with 4,000-5,000 tractors on the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways on Thursday as a “rehearsal” for January 26, even as the Haryana Police placed barricades at four locations on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway to stop protesters from entering the national capital, resulting in blockages on the national highway.

    These four key locations include Kapdiwas Chowk in Gurugram, Masani barrage in Dharuhera, Sangwari village in Rewari and Jaisinghpur Khera (Haryana-Rajasthan border) on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway. Sources said the farmer leaders were finalising the plans for the Thursday’s ‘tractor-trolley march’ as the traffic movement on the expressways would be blocked between 11 am and 4 pm.

    ALSO READ | Wisconsin Speaker supports farmers’ protests; writes to Indian, US envoys

    “The tractors will start the march from all the directions of Kundli and Tikri borders on the eastern side, and Rewasan and Ghazipur from the western side,’’ said Omkar Singh, general secretary of the BKU (Rajewal Group).

    With the NH-48 already blocked, heavy traffic movement is being seen on the alternative routes, like Pataudi Road and Kapdiwas Chowk in Gurugram, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and Masani barrage in Rewari.SP Rewari Abhishek Jorwal said forces have been in Dharuhera and other protesting sites following Sunday’s clash between a group of farmers and the police.

  • AAP accuses Punjab CM Amarinder Singh of implementing farm laws, demands his resignation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Alleging that the Congress government in Punjab has implemented the contentious farm laws in the state, the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday demanded resignation of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for “overt and open betrayal of the farmers”.

    Citing news reports about Punjab’s Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Bharat Bhushan Ashu’s comment that the Congress government has allowed farmers from elsewhere to sell their produce in the state, AAP’s Punjab co-incharge Raghav Chadha accused Singh of “lying to everyone”.

    “It is indeed sad to note that this year has begun on such a grim note with the biggest fraud and betrayal committed by the Congress and Amarinder Singh who have implemented the black farm laws in Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party demands his resignation,” Chadha said.

    ALSO READ: Agri laws: Wisconsin Speaker supports farmers’ protests; writes to Indian, US envoys

    “With the backdoor implementation of the three black farm laws, Amarinder Singh has lied to everyone, he has betrayed not only the farmers of Punjab, but the fields of Punjab, the land of Punjab and the ‘annadaatas’ (food providers) of Punjab,” he said.

    Farmers from various parts of the country, mostly from Punjab, have been camping at different border points of Delhi for over a month now demanding repeal of the three agri laws, which were voted through in Parliament in September amid strong protests by opposition parties.

    ALSO READ: SC to hear pleas against new agri laws, all issues related to farmers protest on January 11

    Aam Aadmi Party have come out strongly in support of the protesting farmers.

    The three laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the 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 mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

    ALSO READ: Undeterred by cold weather, rains, protesting farmers warn to intensify stir further

    The government has repeatedly asserted that the MSP and Mandi systems will stay and has accused the opposition of misleading the farmers.

  • Supreme Court seeks response of Centre on PIL against three farm laws

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Wednesday sought response of the Centre on a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of newly enacted three farm laws on grounds including that Parliament lacked power to make legislations on the subject.

    The plea also raised questions over the validity of ‘the Constitution (3rd Amendment Act) of 1954′ which allegedly empowered the Centre to frame the controversial laws on agriculture.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, while issuing notice to the Ministry of Law and Justice on the PIL of lawyer M L Sharma, said it would hear on January 11 all the pleas challenging the new farm laws as also the ones raising issues related to the ongoing farmers’ protest at Delhi borders.

    ALSO READ: Agri laws: Wisconsin Speaker supports farmers’ protests; writes to Indian, US envoys

    In a hearing conducted through video conferencing, the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, took note of the petition which also contended that the subject ‘agriculture’ has wrongly been put in the concurrent list in the Constitution by parliament in 1954.

    The bench also allowed the lawyer to amend his PIL in which he has also sought quashing of the three laws.

    ALSO READ: SC to hear pleas against new agri laws, all issues related to farmers protest on January 11

    Earlier on November 19, the bench had restored the PIL of Sharma which was dismissed on October 12 and he was asked to approach the High Court instead.

    The top court has already decided to hear pleas of RJD lawmaker from Rajya Sabha, Manoj Jha and DMK Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, Tiruchi Siva, and one by Rakesh Vaishnav of Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress against the three laws — Farmers” (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers” Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.

  • Undeterred by cold weather, rains, protesting farmers warn to intensify stir further

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Camping at protest venues near Delhi borders for around 40 days, braving severe cold and sporadic rains, farmers have asserted that their stir against the farm laws will intensify in the coming days, even as they deferred Wednesday’s proposed tractor march over a bad weather forecast.

    The deadlock continues as the seventh round of talks with the Centre remained inconclusive, with the farmer groups sticking to their demand for the repeal of the three new laws, and the government listing out various benefits of the new Acts.

    The national capital, meanwhile, reels under a spell of harsh winter.

    The city woke up on Wednesday to the rumble of thunder and the sound of hailstones hitting rooftops and windows as it received rainfall for the fourth consecutive day.

    ​ALSO READ | Farmers gear up for R-Day showdown, to hold ‘rehearsal’ tractor rally on Thursday

    The rains, caused by a strong western disturbance, come on the back of a “severe” cold wave that gripped Delhi in the run-up to New Year.

    On Friday, the mercury had plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years for January.

    On Tuesday, the protesting farmers said they were deferring their proposed tractor march from January 6 to January 7 due to a bad weather forecast.

    Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and some other parts of the country have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding repeal of the farm laws, a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops and other two issues.

    Last week, the government agreed to exclude farmers from penal provisions of the Air Quality Management ordinance and to not pursue the draft Electricity Bill.

    Since the farmers arrived at the national capital’s borders, the Delhi Traffic Police has been posting alerts on its official Twitter handle to inform commuters about road closures across the city.

    In a series of tweets on Wednesday, it said Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders were closed for traffic movement.

    ALSO WATCH:

    “Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44.

    “The Chilla and Ghazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra & Loni Borders,” the traffic police said.

    It said Tikri and Dhansa borders are also closed for traffic movement.

    “Jhatikara Border is open only for LMV (Cars/Light Motor Vehicles), two wheelers and pedestrian movement,” another tweet read.

    According to the traffic police, people travelling to Haryana can take the routes via Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders.

  • Farmers gear up for R-Day showdown, to hold ‘rehearsal’ tractor rally on Thursday

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: A day after the seventh round of talks between the Centre and farmer union leaders over the three contentious farm laws ended in a deadlock, the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha on Tuesday said it would take out a tractor rally on January 7, day before the next meeting.  

    The tractor march would he held on eastern and western expressways around Delhi, said Yogendra Yadav, a member of the coordination committee of the morcha, an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions. “It will be a rehearsal for our tractor march on January 26. Farmers from Kundli, Ghazipur and Rewasan will climb atop both expressways from their respective sides. After meeting at midway point, they will return to their respective positions.

    We will approach from Kundli and Tikri borders on the eastern side, will march from Rewasan and Ghazipur,” Yadav added.  

    Meanwhile, Punjab BJP leaders Surjit Kumar Jyani and and Harjit Singh Grewal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in Delhi. Jyani is the chairman of kisan coordination committee of the party which is interacting with farmers while Grewal is a member of the panel. After the meeting, Grewal said the PM is aware of the ground reality but refused to divulge more details.

  • Protesting farmers defer January 6 tractor march by a day over poor weather forecast

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Protesting farmer unions Tuesday deferred their proposed tractor march from January 6 to January 7 due to a bad weather forecast, even as they asserted they will intensify their stir in the coming days.

    Addressing a press conference at Singhu Border here, union leaders said thousands of farmers will take out the tractor march from all protest sites to the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) on January 7.

    Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said the decision to defer the march was taken over forecast of bad weather condition on Wednesday.

    The city has been receiving rains sporadically over the past three days. The unions said the agitation against the three agriculture laws will be intensified in the coming days.

    Talking about their other proposed tractor march to Delhi on January 26, farmer leader Joginder Nain said, “We will send 10 tractor trollies from every village in Haryana. We request people to come — at least one from a house and a total of 11 women from a village”.

  • Farmers’ protest: BJP leaders from Punjab meet PM Modi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: BJP leaders from Punjab on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here amid protests by farmers at Delhi’s borders against the Centre’s new agri laws for nearly six weeks.

    BJP leaders Surjit Kumar Jyani, who is also a former Punjab minister, and Harjit Singh Grewal met Prime Minister Modi at his residence.

    Jyani was chairing the BJP’s Kisan Coordination Committee for interacting with farmers in Punjab last year on the three farm bills which at that time had not been passed by Parliament.

    Grewal was also a member of the committee.

    Talking to PTI, Grewal said their meeting with Prime Minister Modi was about Punjab related issues, but did not specify further.

    The meeting between the BJP leaders and Modi came a day after another round of talks between the government and agitating farmers remained inconclusive.

  • Govt must shed arrogance, repeal farm laws: Rahul Gandhi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government should shed its arrogance and repeal the agri laws against which farmers are protesting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday.

    He also accused the Modi government of apathy towards the death of “over 60 farmers”.

    “The Modi government’s apathy and arrogance have claimed the lives of over 60 farmers. Instead of wiping their tears, the government of India (GOI) is busy attacking them with tear gas. Such brutality, just to promote crony capitalists’ business interests. Repeal the anti-farm laws,” he said on Twitter.

    Farmers are protesting against the three farm laws passed last year in Parliament and are demanding their withdrawal.

    The Congress is supporting the farmers’ agitation and their demand.

  • BJP favouring wealthy people over farmers: Akhilesh Yadav

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused the BJP of favouring wealthy people over farmers.

    In a Hindi tweet, Akhilesh Yadav said, “The biggest problem with the BJP government is that it does not consider itself as a public representative (jan pratinidhi) but as wealth representative (dhan pratinidhi).

    Hence, for the wealthy people, it is putting farmers’ interest at stake, he said, adding that the BJP has forgotten that those whom it is causing harm constitute two-third population of the country and never accept defeat.

    Earlier too, the Samajwadi Party chief had accused the BJP of giving importance to its “capitalist friends” and said the farmers’ protest against the new agriculture laws is an example of the government’s “failure”.

  • Telecom tower damage: HC issues notice to Punjab, Centre on Reliance Jio plea

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Punjab government and the Centre on a plea filed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, seeking action against “miscreants” damaging its telecom infrastructure and forcibly closing its stores in the state.

    During the ongoing agitation by farmers against three new farm laws enacted by the Centre, over 1500 mobile towers in Punjab have ben damaged.

    Reliance Jio, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, on Monday, submitted in its plea that “vested” interests are engaged in spreading “false rumours” against it and that the petitioner, its parent company and its affiliates had no plans to enter corporate or contract farming.

    Justice Sudhir Mittal has issued notice of motion for February 8, according to Aashish Mittal, the counsel for Reliance Jio.

    The company has made the state of Punjab through its chief secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Telecommunications and the Punjab Director General of Police as respondents in the matter.

    In the civil writ petition, Reliance Jio has also sought appropriate directions to respondents for investigation into the “well-orchestrated and sustained disinformation campaign” being carried out by vested interests and miscreants against it.

    In the petition, the company has stated that in the past few weeks, its over 1,500 telecom towers were damaged or rendered inoperative by miscreants crippling its mobile network in Punjab.

    A number of its centres and stores were also forcibly closed by miscreants by using “illegal force and intimidation,” it submitted.

    The petitioner submitted that its subscribers were being forced to port to other networks, while its employees were being subjected to grave threat to life and forcibly prevented from serving subscribers in the state.

    According to the petition, vested interests inimical to the petitioner and its parent company Reliance Industries, are engaged in spreading false rumours to the effect that the petitioner and its affiliates were somehow a beneficiary of recent legislation passed by Parliament governing marketing of agricultural produce.

    In a statement, Reliance said it “has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them”.

    The company also sought the constitution of a competent authority under the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Act for the assessment of losses caused to it.