Farmers Movement Archive

Violence a setback, but farm unions to take stir pan-India

NEW DELHI: Violence during the tractor rallies came as a setback for farm unions agitating for repeal of central farm laws. However, they expressed their determination to continue with their protests while seeking to dissociate themselves from Tuesday’s violence. The unions said that there were no plans to abandon the march to Parliament on Budget day, though neither the courts nor the Central government may be accommodative this time. The farm unions, which have received favourable notice so far, will find themselves being closely questioned over the manner in which their rally spun out of control and resulted in chaos in Delhi on Republic Day. Read AlsoRed Fort raider Deep Sidhu has been quoting Jarnail Singh BhindranwalePunjabi actor-singer-activist Deep Sidhu, who farmer unions allege was responsible for taking youths towards Red Fort on Tuesday, has been making news from the beginning of the agitation since September last year.Union leaders do not appear ready to give up on their core demands — repeal of laws and legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) —and some of them feel that their protests are acquiring a larger dimension. The unions will in any case want to wait to see how opposition parties take up the stir in the Budget session, which begins on Friday. Farmers protest: Live updatesThe likely stand of the Central government, which has so far been at pains to signal its flexibility to amend the laws — short of repeal — was not clear though BJP leaders were taken aback by the violence. The government and BJP offered no word on the violence, with sources saying the priority was to restore law and order. The government seemed to expect the televised events to hurt the protest, while the proceedings in the Supreme Court, which had asked if the rally would be peaceful, could also see the Centre spelling out its stand. Read AlsoWhat is Nishan Sahib? It’s found flying atop every gurdwaraWas a Khalistani flag hoisted at Red Fort? No, it was a Sikh flag which is found in every gurdwara and people carry it almost invariably during religious processions. In gurdwaras, it is hoisted at a height with a ‘khanda’ (a doubleedged sword). The flag flies at the top of this and is called NishanSo far, the government has been careful in not using coercive methods, keeping in mind the sensitivity of Punjab, from where most of the unions are from, being a border state and the likely role of extremists in exploiting the situation. The unions said they had mobilised some organisations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal to intensify the agitation. All these states, along with Assam and Manipur, witnessed protests on Tuesday. Until now, the mobilisation has been largely cadre-based with the Left-aligned All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) playing a leading role. 1/25Tractor rally: Farmers march into Delhi protesting against farm laws Previous NextShow Captions<p>Protesting farmers hoist a flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 72nd Republic Day, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI)</p><p>Protesting farmers hoist a flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 72nd Republic Day, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)</p><p>Farmers try to move baricades during a tractor rally to protest against farm laws on the occasion of India's Republic Day at Tikri border near New Delhi, India. (Reuters)</p><p>Farmers participate in the 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' after breaking police barricades at Ghazipur border, during their protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, near Red Fort in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers attempt to break a barricade near Ghazipur border as they participate in 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' in protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>New Delhi: Farmers attempt to break barricades as they try to march towards Red Fort during 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' amid the 72nd Republic Day celebrations, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (PTI)</p><p>Delhi: Police officials sit on road in Nangloi to block the area where farmers holding tractor parade have reached. (ANI)</p><p>New Delhi: Farmers break a police barricade as they participate in the 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' during their protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, near Red Fort in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers attempt to break barricades as they participate in the 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' as part of their protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, near Akshardham in New Delhi, Tuesday. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers participate in the 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' after breaking police barricades at Singhu border, during their ongoing protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, near Bhalswa landfill site in New Delhi, Tuesday. (PTI)</p><p>Tear gas used to disperse farmers attempting to break barricades for the 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' in protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, near Akshardham in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>Police attempt to stop farmers during their 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' in protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, near Akshardham in New Delhi, Tuesday. (PIT)</p><p>New Delhi: Police uses tear gas to disperse farmers attempting to break barricades at Ghazipur border during their 'Kisan Gantantra Parade', on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers attempt to break a barricade at Ghazipur border as they participate in 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' in protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers take part in a tractor rally as they ride through the smoke of tear gas fired by the police to stop them as farmers continue to protest against the central government's recent agricultural reforms in New Delhi on January 26, 2021. (Photo: AFP)</p><p>Kisan Gantantra Parade in Delhi. </p><p>Police use tear gas used to disperse farmers attempting to break barricades at Ghazipur border for the 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' in protest against Centre's farm reform laws, on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers on their tractors move towards Delhi during their rally on Republic Day, at Singhu border in New Delhi, Tuesday. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers broke the police barricading at the Singhu-Tiki border points to entre the national capital on their tractors on Republic Day. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers on their tractors move towards Delhi after breaking the police barricades at Singhu border during their rally on Republic Day, in New Delhi, Tuesday. (PTI)</p><p>Farmers take part in a tractor rally to protest against farm laws on the occasion of India's Republic Day at Tikri border near New Delhi. (Reuters)</p><p>Farmers hoist the National Flag at Ghazipur border during the Republic Day celebration, ahead of their tractor rally, in New Delhi. (PTI)</p><p>Residents of an area are seen behind a police barricade as they see farmers taking part in a tractor rally to protest against farm laws on the occasion of India's Republic Day at Tikri border near New Delhi. (Reuters)</p><p>Security forces deployed at Gazipur</p><p>Haryana: Drones put to use amid high security arrangements at Faridabad-Palwal border as farmers carry out tractor parade. (ANI)</p>“Those elements, which are not going along with the collective spirit of the farmers’ movement, and which broke the norms, are the ones who have weakened and isolated themselves, and it is not the movement that is weakened,” said Kavitha Kuruganti of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch, who represented farmers in talks with the government, while condemning the violence. Read AlsoDeep Sidhu &amp; government agencies behind rampage: Farm netasFarm leaders on Tuesday evening blamed the Majha-based Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and Deep Sidhu - who had led a group to Red Fort - for the violence in the national capital and termed the entire episode as “the handiwork of some central agencies” to defame the farmers’ struggle.P Krishna Prasad of AIKS and Avik Saha of Jai Kisan Andolan (JKA) believe that the rally on Delhi roads in fact enthused and encouraged farmers in several states. “The incidents will not weaken the movement. It has now become a mass movement and will eventually become truly pan-India. Masses are now leading the struggle. They are not being led by farmers’ unions anymore,” Prasad, who participated in the Rohtak-Tikri leg of the tractor rally on Tuesday, said. Asked whether violence would not defeat the purpose, Saha said, “Only one group short-circuited it and created panic by its unacceptable act, which we all condemned. We will review it and take a collective decision. We are bound by the common mission and we are determined to achieve it through further intensifying the protests across the country.”

The Times of India

2021-01-27

India