Live updates on the farmers’ protest: During a demonstration against the new farm laws on Thursday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the center of “treating farmers unjustly”. “The farmers are being treated unfairly. We are taking this march to show our support for the farmers. Any opposition to this government will be classified as terrorist,” she said when the Congress march to Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Delhi police was stopped.
The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, demonstrated a protest against the centre’s new agricultural laws to support the continued protest by farmers on the Delhi borders in Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur. Gandhi, along with other senior congressional leaders, will meet with President Ram Nath Kovind and file a memorandum with two Crore signatures to advance his intervention in the crisis.
Meanwhile, farmers unions reiterated Wednesday that talks could not begin until the center repeals new agricultural reform laws and reportedly called for revised production costs that increase the minimum support price (MSP).
Here are live updates:
– – “Farmers are treated unfairly,” says Priyanka Gandhi as Delhi police stop Congress “March to Rashtrapati Bhavan | “The farmers are being treated unfairly. We are taking this march to show our support for the farmers. Any opposition to this government will be classified as terrorist,” she said when the Congress march to Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Delhi police was stopped.
Security at the borders of Delhi remained strict with hundreds of workers in Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri as thousands of farmers have been protesting at the borders for almost a month. This has also resulted in traffic congestion, forcing police to reroute vehicle movement.
– The Delhi Traffic Police have updated that the Chilla and Gazipur borders are closed to any vehicle movement from Noida and Gaziabad to Delhi due to protests by farmers. People are advised to choose an alternative route to get to Delhi via the Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara, Bhopra and Loni borders
– Rahul Gandhi will lead a demonstration from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhavan with Congressmen today at 10:45 am. After that, he and other senior leaders will meet the Indian President and file a memorandum with 2 crore signatures for his intervention, said Congressman K Suresh.
– The farmers’ unions have informed the Ministry of Agriculture in writing that they will only be ready for talks “if the center has made a concrete proposal without repeating the proposed changes to the previously proposed laws on agricultural support”. The times of India reported.
– Meanwhile, Jayant Chaudhary, national vice president of Rashtriya Lok Dal, urged farmers on Wednesday to unite against agriculture reform laws and said his party would back them. The RLD leader paid tribute to his grandfather and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birthday, saying that if farmers do not speak out against the laws, they could lose their land and identity.
– DMK boss MK Stalin on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ongoing agitation by farmers in Delhi, accusing him of not taking any steps to end their almost month-long protest. He also accused Tamil Nadu Prime Minister K Palaniswami of betraying farmers by supporting the Center for Agricultural Reform’s new laws, claiming the laws would ruin farmers’ livelihoods.
– Langare (communal kitchens) and night shelters were also set up at the protest locations. Medicines and ambulances will also be provided to the excited farmers, he added.
– The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Wednesday provided 700 water geysers to farmers protesting against the centre’s farm reform laws in the biting cold on the borders of the state capital. Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and a few other states have been camping at multiple entry points in Delhi for almost a month, calling on the center to repeal the three agrarian reform laws.
– Modi will also interact with farmers from six states during the event, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. “Farmers will share their experiences with PM-KISAN and with various other government initiatives for the benefit of farmers,” it said.
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi will videoconference the next installment of financial benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) on Friday, his office said on Wednesday. At the push of a button, Modi will enable the transfer of more than 18,000 rupees to more than nine crore-beneficiary farming families, he added.
– Farmers’ unions reiterated Wednesday that talks could not begin until the center repeals new agricultural reform laws and reportedly called for revised production costs that increase the minimum support price (MSP).