New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): The fresh wave of farmer protests saw major developments on Friday, with the farmers calling off the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest after several farmers were reportedly injured in tear gas shelling by police at the Shambu border. The farmer leaders, however, have asserted that the march will be held again on December 8 if the Centre fails to engage with them in talks by tomorrow.
Additionally, the protests remained a strong point of political row between the Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi condemned the use of tear gas on protesting farmers in Delhi, and urged the government to seriously address their demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP and loan waivers, while expressing solidarity with their ongoing struggle.
“Farmers want to come to Delhi to put forward their demands before the government and express their pain. Firing tear gas shells on them and trying to stop them in various ways is condemnable. The government should listen to their demands and problems seriously,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.
He added, “The suffering of the farmers can be gauged from the fact that today in the country, one farmer is forced to commit suicide every hour. The country has not forgotten the martyrdom of more than 700 farmers in the first farmers’ movement due to the extreme insensitivity of the Modi government.”
The Rae Bareli MP also expressed solidarity with the farmers, saying, “We understand the pain of the farmers and support their demands. The government should immediately implement all the demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP, MSP 1.5 times the comprehensive cost of cultivation as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, loan waiver, etc.”
“The country will be prosperous only when the farmers are prosperous!” he added via his tweet.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has slammed the Opposition for making the ongoing farmers’ protests a ‘political issue’, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently made decisions benefiting farmers.
Saini blamed the Congress party for the current plight of farmers, urging them to reflect on their past tenure before criticizing the government. He also cautioned the opposition against politicizing the issue, claiming that Congress’s approach would ultimately lead to their downfall.
“The farmers’ issue is not a matter of politics. PM Modi has always worked in favor of farmers and has taken decisions that are good for them. Congress is responsible for the current situation of farmers in the country. They (Congress leaders) are raising placards, but they should reflect on their tenure before holding those placards. The opposition should not politicize this issue, because the kind of politics Congress is playing, they are getting finished as a result,” CM Saini said.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Opposition Leader and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa lashed out at the Haryana government on Friday for using tear gas and excessive force against farmers peacefully marching towards Delhi.
Bajwa called the actions of the Haryana police “undemocratic” and “barbaric,” underlining that several farmers were injured in the process.
He condemned the ‘tyrant’ Haryana government’s stance, accusing it of trying to stifle the peaceful protest, following the example of the previous government.
“Firing tear gas shells and using excessive police force against the peacefully marching farmers of Punjab is a highly undemocratic move of the @BJP4Haryana govt. Several farmers have been injured in this barbaric action of the Haryana police,” he stated on X.
Bajwa added, “Following the footsteps of the previous Mohan Lal Khattar govt, the tyrant Haryana govt led by @NayabSainiBJP has been bent on stifling the peaceful march.”
“The Haryana govt must understand that the farmers are not protesting in their state. They are using Haryana as a route to reach out to Delhi. Why has the Haryana government been perturbed by the same?” he questioned.
Farmer leaders called off their ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest march for the day after several farmers were reportedly injured in tear gas shelling by police at the Shambhu border.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the ‘Jatha,’ a group of 101 farmers participating in the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march, was recalled after six farmers were injured when Haryana Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border.
Pandher clarified, “We have called off the ‘Jatha,’ not the march to Delhi. Six farmers have been injured.”
Speaking at the Shambhu border, he said, “They (police) will not let us go to Delhi. Farmer leaders have been injured; we will hold a meeting to decide the future strategy.”
Following this, the farmer leaders held a press conference where they announced that a group of 101 farmers would march towards Delhi on December 8 at 12 noon if the government does not engage in talks by tomorrow.
Pandher, speaking at the Shambhu border, said they would wait until tomorrow for discussions with the government. “We will wait till tomorrow for talks with the government, otherwise, a ‘Jatha’ of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi on 8 December at 12 noon,” he said.
He added, “I think the Prime Minister is not even listening to the Vice President. If the round of talks had started, a happy solution to this movement could have been found… The government is not ready for talks… For us, the ruling party and the opposition are the same; they all do politics.”
The protest aims to press for several demands, including compensation and a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Heavy police presence was observed at the Haryana-Punjab border, where 101 farmers were stopped. Drone footage showed barricades set up by the police.
A police officer at the border said, “The farmers do not have permission to enter Haryana. The Ambala administration has imposed Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).”
Pandher, earlier, had said, “We should be allowed to march towards Delhi peacefully, or the authorities should engage with us regarding our demands. The doors for talks are open from the farmers’ side. If the government wants to talk, they should show us a letter from the central government or the Chief Minister’s office in Haryana or Punjab. We want the central government to accept our demands, provide us with a place to protest in Delhi, and restore internet services in Ambala.”
In response to the protests, the Haryana government ordered an internet shutdown in ten villages in Ambala from December 6 to 9, citing the need to prevent the spread of misinformation via social media. The affected villages include Dangdehri, Lohgarh, Manakpur, and Saddopur. However, essential services such as banking and mobile recharges will remain operational.
Additionally, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary invited the farmers for talks, saying, “Doors are open for the farmers to come and have a dialogue regarding their issues. I am also their brother, and if they want to come, the doors are open. If they want us to go to them, we will go and have a dialogue.”
The protest is being led by the Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP) in collaboration with other farmer groups. (ANI)
