Farmers Movement Archive

If govt can’t find a solution, we will plough our way to one, warns Bharatiya Kisan Union at UP Gate

Exhorting farmers to be a part of the next “kisan kranti (farmers’ revolution)”, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait warned that if the central government cannot find a solution to the deadlock over the three new farm laws, then the farmers will be forced to “plough their way to a solution”. “Six rounds of talks with the central government have yielded no solution. The government should either find a “hal (solution)” or we will have to resort to a “hal kranti (plough our way to a revolution/change)”. Such a revolution would go right through the heart of Delhi itself,” said Tikait, who is also BKU’s national spokesperson, at the Ghazipur-Ghaziabad (UP Gate) border, where hundreds of farmers have been protesting against the farm laws for the past 23 days. Also Read| ‘Bow to farmers’: PM Modi backs laws, slams OppositionAddressing the gathering of farmers, Tikait urged farmers and all kisan unions across the country to “unite and join” the ongoing protests at the four border points of Delhi – Singhu, Tikri, UP Gate and Chilla. “Every farmer should now leave their homes and, carrying farming tools, join us in our protest. I also ask all farmer unions , both big and small, to come here (the Delhi borders with their flags and banners. We will welcome them,” said Tikait. The farmer leader also thanked the Supreme Court for terming their protests “peaceful” and for asking the government “why in the past eight days have there been no talks with farmers over contentious issues”. “I have learnt that the representatives of the government will be holding 700 meetings over the farm laws. One such meeting is in Meerut on Friday. Why is the government holding such talks in cities and towns and not meeting farmers in their villages? Farmers are protesting at the Delhi borders. Why is the government not coming here?” said Tikait. Also Read: MSP only real risk protection for farmers, says new studyApart from Singhu and Tikri borders, where thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping for the past 23 days, blocking vehicular movement, farmers from Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at UP Gate and Chilla border (Delhi-Noida Link Road) for just as many days, unmindful of the cold wave sweeping through the NCR. The number of tents at Ghazipur border has increased and nearly all of them have been covered with tarpaulin sheets to stop the cold draughts. The elderly farmers have been advised to stay in the tents or tractor trolleys to avoid falling ill. Also Read| The farm laws: How not to do reformsWhile the gathering at three borders remained intact, even increasing during the weekends, the situation at the Chilla border has kept fluctuating in the past fortnight. On Friday, the number of protesting farmers at Chilla border was fewer than 100, compared to Thursday when 200 to 300 farmers had remained present and had a brief standoff with the security personnel, while making a bid to proceed towards Delhi. At Ghazipur and Chilla borders, unlike SInghu and Tikri, protesters have only blocked the carriageways going towards Delhi from Ghaziabad and Noida. The traffic is being diverted to the alternative border points to avoid inconvenience to motorists commuting between Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Hindustan Times

19-12-2020

Delhi