Farmers Protest Updates: Police fired rounds of tear gas shells to disperse farmers attempting to breach the barricade at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border
Farmers Protest Updates: On the second day of the farmers’ protest, police resorted to using tear gas to scatter demonstrators, causing inconvenience to local residents due to traffic congestion near the borders. Meanwhile, farmers’ organizations announced plans to convene a meeting with the Central government on Thursday to address their grievances.
Police fired multiple rounds of tear gas shells to disperse farmers attempting to breach the police barricade at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border and continue their ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest on Wednesday.
In a bid to maintain law and order, the Delhi police have implemented Section 144, prohibiting the entry of tractor-trolleys and large gatherings.
Significant traffic jams were witnessed on Wednesday at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border due to the farmers’ demonstration and stringent security measures imposed by the authorities.
On Wednesday, Sarwan Singh Pandher, the General Secretary of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, announced that the meeting with the Centre is scheduled for today at 5 pm. He emphasised that the farmers aim to address all issues peacefully.
“Even in this position, we are thinking that we will not leave the way of talks. If the Centre comes up with a solution, then we are ready. We don’t want any kind of conflict. We want to resolve all issues through dialogue. The meeting with the Centre will be held at 5 pm tomorrow. We are saying again, that tomorrow also we will sit peacefully,” he said.
Top Highlights:
- On Wednesday, a collective statement was released by several public intellectuals and artists in solidarity with the joint initiative by workers and farmers for a sectoral industrial strike and Grameen Bharat Bandh on February 16. Endorsed by 34 individuals, the statement urges people from diverse backgrounds to offer their full support to this significant endeavour by the farmers and workers.
- Arjun Munda, the Union Agriculture Minister involved in negotiations with farmer leaders, appealed to the protesters for cooperation and open communication to prevent inconvenience to the general public. He emphasized that in the process of drafting new laws, there are numerous factors to be taken into account, which the government wishes to discuss with the farmer organisations.
- Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor remarked on Wednesday that he does not believe the China border is fortified to the extent of the national capital. He emphasized that it is the democratic right of farmers to protest and have their voices heard in the national capital.
- Akhilesh Yadav criticised the BJP government for what he termed as “deception” towards farmers. He pointed out the irony of the government honouring the late farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh with the Bharat Ratna while simultaneously resorting to tear gas shelling and lathi charging against protesting farmers, which he deemed as an exhibition of dictatorship.
- The farmers marching towards Delhi have presented 12 demands to the central government. The protest is organized by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
- Among their demands, the protesting farmers are insisting on the implementation of a law ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission report. They seek better crop prices, which were promised by the central government, leading to the conclusion of the 2021 protest.
