Farmers Movement Archive

Agitating farmers block Jaipur highway

Addressing the farmers, Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) said farmers should stay alert and ensure that no unwanted or wrong elements got involved in the agitation. “If the Central government wants to talk and there’s any proposal for talks, we will constitute a committee, which will take a decision on it,” he said. Addressing the demonstrators on the Haryana-Rajasthan border, Ms. Patkar asked the government why minimum support price could not be guaranteed under the law. She said after the rise in prices for fertilizers and seeds, the farmers would now be burdened by increase in power tariff under the proposed law on electricity and completely ruined. “These three laws will also jeopardise food security of the common man,” said Ms. Patkar. All-India Kisan Sabha general-secretary Hannan Mollah said the farmer unions were not left with any choice but to intensify the stir after the government refused to repeal the laws. “The three black laws are anti-farmer and mere amendments won’t make them pro-farmer,” said Mr. Mollah. Around 600 police personnel, including a company of Rapid Action Force, were deployed by the Rewari Police to stop the farmers from marching towards Delhi. The police put multiple layers of barricades and boulders to block both carriageways of the highway when the farmers reached the border in the afternoon leading to long traffic snarls. (With inputs from Vikas Vasudeva in Chandigarh)

The Hindu

2020-12-14

December 14 2020 00:00 IST