Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ protest completes 3 months, Kisan Cong to gherao Tomar's house today

The Kisan Congress will surround Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar's house on Friday, the day farmers’ protest against the Centre’ three agricultural laws completes three months. The activists of the grand old party’s unit had planned to assemble at the AICC headquarters at 11:30am in Delhi before proceeding to Union minister Tomar’s office, the Congress said in a statement.The move comes in the backdrop of the agitation launched by farmers at several borders of the national capital to demand the repeal of farm legislation enacted by Parliament in September last year. The protesters have been camping at various Delhi borders since November 26. While the farmers want a complete roll-back of three 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— the government has ruled out agreeing to the demand and has offered to make amendments to the legislation. Responding to Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait’s call for another tractor rally in the Capital, the agriculture minister had earlier this week said the government is ready to discuss the demands of the farmers and is committed to the welfare of the farmers.The tractor rally proposed by farmers on January 26 took a violent turn after clashes broke out between the police and protesters. Several arrests have been made in this regard and following the violence, security was also heightened at the borders.During a Kisan mahapanchayat in Rajasthan’s Sikar, Tikait had said if the farm laws aren't repealed, protesting farmers will gherao Parliament. "This time the call will be for Parliament gherao. We will announce it and then march towards Delhi. This time 40 lakh tractors will be there instead of four lakh tractors," he said on Tuesday.The farmers have also extended support to ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by transport and trade unions against the spike in fuel prices and to demand the scrapping of new e-way bill laws. During the nationwide strike, the traders’ body has said that all commercial markets across the country will remain shut.

Hindustan Times

26-02-2021

India