Farmers' Protest Highlights: Farmer leaders, Union ministers to meet on Feb 16 in Chandigarh, says Bharti Kisan Union Chief

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A bus overturned in Odisha’s Cuttack, killing one and injuring several others earlier today. More details are awaited.

Devotees thronged Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Temple in Ayodhya earlier today on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been roped in to assist in finding a resolution to the issues of farmers, particularly from Punjab, who have given a call to march towards the national capital, which has been turned into a fortress with police and other security personnel blocking roads with concrete blocks, barbed wires and tyre-busting spikes.

Talks with the agitating farmers have so far remained inconclusive and Singh, a farmer leader from Uttar Pradesh and former agriculture minister, was sought out on Wednesday to explore a resolution.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami met Captain Saurabh Vashisht, one of the ex-Navy personnel released from Qatar at the latter’s residence in Dehradun earlier today.

Here’s what farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said on the upcoming meeting with Union Ministers in Chandigarh on Thursday.

“Our demands are same as per the ‘demand chart’ we presented earlier. No new demand has been added. After the failure of the last meeting, the government calling for a meeting again reflects that they have found some positive solution.”

250 specially abled children of Jammu and Kashmir visited Delhi and Agra under the ‘Watan Ko Jano’ Programme organized by the Social Welfare Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Source: Ministry of Home Affairs

SC to pronounce judgment tomorrow in a bunch of pleas challenging constitutional validity of electoral bonds scheme.

Here’s what Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said on the upcoming meeting with Union Ministers in Chandigarh on Thursday. “Meeting agenda will remain the same as the letter with 10 demands given earlier. Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai will lead the talks tomorrow. We will go to it with the hope that the Centre accepts our demands.”

Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ICGS Varaha makes port call at Maputo Port, Mozambique as a part of ongoing strategic overseas deployment to East Africa. During its three-day visit, the crew of ICGS Varaha will participate in a series of professional interactions in field of Marine Pollution Response (MPR), Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR) and Maritime Law Enforcement including cross-deck training, call on to various Mozambique Naval and maritime agencies officials, sports fixtures, joint yoga sessions, table top exercises and Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the Mozambique Naval Forces, says Indian Coast Guard.

- CBSE issues advisory for students in view of farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march, advises students to leave home early to reach exam centres on time

- CBSE advises students to use metro to reach board exam centres on time

Meeting will be held with Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai: Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal

Ex-Union minister Praful Patel to be candidate of Ajit Pawar-led NCP for Rajya Sabha, says party leader Sunil Tatkare

Tamil actor Gautami Tadimalla joined AIADMK and met the party's general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai today

Uttar Pradesh govt to construct 290 meter long corridor 'Sugriva Path' connecting Hanuman Garhi and Ram temple in Ayodhya to facilitate darshan. This corridor will be built at a cost of Rs 11.81 crores, says the state government.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto claims victory in Indonesia's presidential election based on unofficial tallies, reports AP

Ministry of Defence signs a contract with Advanced Weapon Equipment India Ltd. (AWEIL), Kanpur for manufacturing & supply of a total of 463 indigenously manufactured 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote Control Guns (SRCG) for the Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 1752.13 crores, with Indigenous Content (IC) of more than 85%.

Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai to hold meeting with leaders of farmer groups' on Wednesday evening, PTI reported.

Sanjay Kumar Jain, an Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) Officer of 1990 batch, has taken over as the chairman and managing director of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) with immediate effect, a regulatory filing stated on February 14.

Former PDP leader Arshid Mehmood Khan joined BJP in Jammu earlier today in the presence of Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina and former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for the sixth time in Delhi excise policy case.

The Delhi Metro on February 13 registered the highest-ever count of daily passenger journeys at 71.09 lakh, a record achieved on a day when huge traffic jams were reported in the NCR amid heavy security arrangements in view of a farmers' march to the national capital.

The urban transporter shared the data in a post on X on Wednesday, saying it has surpassed its previous milestone accomplished last September.

On BAPS Mandir, the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan says, "This is an extremely happy moment for India and all Indians all over the world. This is a historic moment in our lives where we are going to witness a Mandir which is so magnificent and spiritual coming on a land like Abu Dhabi. Only our PM Narendra Modi can execute this..."

West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar, who was injured after falling from a car amid Sandeshkhali protest earlier today, being shifted from Basirhat Multispecialty Hospital to Apollo Hospital.

Congress fields ex-Union minister Renuka Chowdhury as Rajya Sabha candidate from Telangana

On Farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' protest, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "... It's a democratic right of the farmers to protest and come and be heard in the National capital. I don't think the border with China is fortified the way this city is fortified. The government should have learnt a lesson from the previous farmers' agitation- consult the stakeholders. Last time it took a year-long agitation before the government surrendered and withdrew..."

Congress nominates Ajay Maken, Naseer Hussain for Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka

Just days after a Moneycontrol investigation exposed a cab driver's long-running scam at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), local police have sprung into action by registering a case against the driver. The police have filed an FIR has against cab driver Bharath Gowda, who allegedly deceived passengers with a fake screenshot indicating a fare of Rs 5,194. The complaint was filed by Loiyum Khuman, a resident of Tavarekere in Bengaluru on February 13.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 inaugurated the 'Bharat Mart', a warehousing facility in Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai also present at the inauguration event. According to reports, Bharat Mart, a hybrid market place for Indian businesses, will provide access to global markets by leveraging the strategic location and strength in logistics of Jebel Ali port.

More Details Here

The ongoing agitation by farmer unions against the Centre may not put a big dent to the BJP as it has not been caught off guard by the farmers’ protest. BJP leaders point out they are now habituated with pre-poll agitations, stating that the PM Modi-led government has seen too many protests in the last 10 years.

Full Story Here

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai. This was the first meeting between the two leaders. Both leaders recognised the long-standing friendly relations and ancient geographical ties between the two countries. They discussed ways to advance bilateral ties and appreciated the close cooperation between the two countries in various multilateral fora, including the UN.

The 16th Finance Commission (XVI-FC) held its first meeting under the Chairmanship of Dr. Arvind Panagariya in Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan, Janpath, New Delhi, today,February 14. The commission acknowledged the need for wide ranging consultations with various stakeholders, including state governments, local bodies, ministries of Government of India, and experts.

Farmer groups led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have agreed to a fresh dialogue with the Centre over their demands on Wednesday, February 14. Full Story Here

Farmer's protest and Upcoming elections are unlikely to have a major impact on our Tractor's business, says Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO (Auto and Farm Sector), M&M

Traders body CAIT urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to delay the implementation of Section 43(b)h of Income Tax pertaining to SMEs by one year to give ample time to understand and comply with the law smoothly. As per the amendment to the income tax law, any payment made to registered micro, small or medium (MSME) enterprises beyond 45 days of receiving goods or services will not be recognised as an expense and added to the profit of the company for taxation purposes.

"As the government has said it is ready for talks and finding resolution to farmers' issues, we do not want to leave any room for them to say that we did not accept their offer. We took permission from our friends, and now we will hold talks with the government. Our priority is that talks are held in Chandigarh or anywhere near the protest site, says SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.

The world today needs governments which are inclusive, take everyone along, and are clean and free from corruption, says PM Modi

"We have focused on women-led development. We are strengthening the financial, social and political conditions of the Indian women. We have also given reservation to women in the Parliament. We are also creating new opportunities for youth and focusing on their skill development. Soon, India will have the third biggest startup ecosystem (of the world)," says PM Narendra Modi, addressing the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

"Over the last few years, people's trust has increased over the Indian government. People have trust over the intent and commitment of the Indian government. This was possible only because we prioritised public sentiments in governance," says PM Narendra Modi, addressing the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

West Bengal BJP president Majumdar was injured as Police resorted to lathi charge after a scuffle broke out between Police and party workers. The Police personnel were trying to take Majumdar back to the hotel from where he had left.

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Centre cannot form law now since the Lok Sabha session has ended. "The govt is working on the farmers' issues with sensitivity...Most of their demands have been accepted...Technically, since the Lok Sabha session has ended, the demand for a law is strange...The govt cannot form laws now..."

On the farmers' march, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij says, "The report on MSP came in 2004 when Congress was in power. Why didn't they do anything in 10 years?... The farmers want to go to Delhi and have a conversation with representatives of the Govt but when they came to Chandigarh, the farmer leaders refused to talk to them. I am surprised that the Punjab Govt has released a notice asking us not to send drones to our border.... When farmers started moving from Amritsar, they did not even try to stop them. This clearly means that they want the farmers to create terror in Delhi. Stone pelting is going on and one of our DSP & 25 other police officers are injured in this..."

Union leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Wednesday said the agitating farmers will consider any invitation for dialogue as long as the Centre ensures a positive atmosphere for talks. He also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enact a law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP). "It is said that you (Modi) have a big heart. Give us a law to guarantee the MSP," Pandher said.

One of the big demands of the protesting farmers is to ensure legislation to guarantee MPS, which is short for Minimum Support Price. But what is this MSP? And will it solve India's agriculture problem? Read our explainer for more details. Click Here

The ongoing 'Delhi Chalo' agitation by farmer unions of Punjab, Haryana, UP, and MP could present an opportunity for the opposition INDIA alliance ahead of the general elections 2024. Troubled by rift within the INDIA bloc and exits of key coaliation players such as Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, and Arving Kejriwal, the ongoing farmers' protests could be the last chance for the Opposition squad to make an impact on the 97 crore voters as well as on the Hindi heartland.

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“There is an attempt to make a perception about us. We have not come here for confrontation with the government,” farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said while speaking at Shambhu border.

Former Madhya Pradesh CM and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on the farmers' protest. "Their (farmers') demands should have been accepted. However, to hold discussions with them, they have selected a minister, who represents the corporates of the country. Piyush Goyal has been selected to hold talks, this is ridiculous."

The protests by farmer unions from the agricultural states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh began on February 13 at 10 am. These are the 10 key points giving an overview of the 'Delhi Chalo' protests. Full Story Here

With Sonia Gandhi potentially exiting the lower house, speculation suggests daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might run for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency. However, Priyanka could also be considered for the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, formerly represented by Rahul Gandhi. Congress thinktank has not yet made a final decision on her participation in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

Sonia Gandhi's decision to run for elections in Rajasthan instead of a southern state like Telangana or Karnataka, where the party is also in a strong position, sends a clear message that the Congress' first family remains committed to the Hindi heartland and is not abandoning it.

Sonia Gandhi could become the second member of the Gandhi family to join the Rajya Sabha. If successful, she will be following in the footsteps of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who served in the Upper House from August 1964 to February 1967. The Congress party has not yet officially nominated any candidate for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will file her nominations papers for the Rajya Sabha later today. Gandhi, the MP in Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli, will not contest the next general election. She has been a five-term Lok Sabha MP and was first elected in 1999 after taking over as the Congress president. She announced in 2019 that the previous Lok Sabha election would be her final one.

As the 'Delhi Chalo' protest gathers steam, the Delhi Traffic Police has issued specific guidelines for commuters, especially those traveling in goods vehicles and from various border points.

These are the key traffic points with diversions or blocks:

>> Goods vehicles are not allowed to enter Delhi through the Greater Noida Expressway.

>> Travel of goods vehicles is restricted between Haryana's Sirsa and Uttar Pradesh's Surajpur via Parichowk.

>> For those heading to Delhi from the Chilla border, take the Sector 14A Flyover, Roundabout Chowk, Sector 15, passing through Sandeep Paper Mill Chowk and Jhundapura Chowk.

>> If coming from the DND Border, take the elevated road via Sector 18 from Film City.

>> To reach Delhi from Kalindi Kunj Border, take the route via Sector 37 from Mahamaya Flyover.

>> When using the Yamuna Expressway, exit from Jewar Toll towards Khurja and proceed via Jahangirpur.

>> If traveling to Delhi via Sirsa and Pari Chowk after disembarking from the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, avoid getting down at Sirsa and instead go through Dadri and Dasna.

>> In Sirsa, 40 strategically placed checkposts monitor routes from neighboring states.

>> The road from Punjab's Bathinda has been temporarily closed, and diversions are in place at various points along NH-9 to provide alternative routes, as it passes through Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The Haryana Police became the first police force in India to use drones to launch tear gas devices after they dropped tear gas shells from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on protesting farmers at Shambhu Barrier on the Punjab-Haryana boundary on Tuesday. These drones are manufactured by DRISHYAA, a public listed company set up in 2021 to “survey infra projects, monitoring of agriculture crops”.

Mobile internet services, bulk SMS, and all dongle services etc provided on mobile networks, except for voice calls, in the jurisdiction of districts Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa of Haryana state will remain suspended until Thursday, February 15.

While the non political faction of SKM is actively taking part in the protest march, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha has distanced itself from the demonstrations. They have, however, supported the call for a nationwide strike on February 16. "SKM urges PM Modi to clarify why his government is not ready for discussion with the platforms of farmers and workers in the context of the countrywide Grameen Bandh and Industrial/ Sectoral Strike call on February 16 on the demands of people's livelihood?" their statement read.

These are the main players pulling strings in the ongoing farmer protests in New Delhi.
- Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political): A faction of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, this unit was formed in November 2020 to lead the first farmers' protest. Farm organisation BKU (Ekta Sidhupur), led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal along with the SKM faction, joined hands with several farm groups from Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh and formed SKM (non-political).

- Kisan Mazdoor Morcha: Sarwan Singh Pandher leads Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, which was formed with 18 other farmers’ groups from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, and MP. Incidentally, they were not a part of the 2020 demonstrations. Pandher has maintained his outfit's demonstrations are not political and that they do not lean towards any political party. "We blame the Congress as much as the BJP. Neither do we support the Left. What revolution has come in West Bengal where the Left ruled for so many years? We are not in favour of any political party," he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will file her nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Rajasthan later today, February 14. Gandhi, who is the MP from Rae Bareli, is currently serving her fifth term in Lok Sabha, and this will be her first stint in the Upper House. Her decision to opt out from the Lok Sabha elections has raised speculation over who will replace her in Rae Bareli, with many reports suggesting daughter Priyanka Gandhi could replace her.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the Pulwama attacks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on a 2-day visit to the UAE, posted on X saying: "I pay homage to the brave heroes who were martyred in Pulwama. Their service and sacrifice for our nation will always be remembered."

Authorities have shut down the Red Ford on Tuesday, three years after the historic monument was stormed by thousands of farmers agitating over farm laws in January 2021. The complex was temporarily closed for visitors and its access points were sealed shut citing security reasons in the wake of the farmers’ protest march to the national capital.

The farmers are staging a large-scale protest to compel the Center to acknowledge their list of demands. They are:

- Legislation to ensure a minimum support price (MSP), a requirement they had stipulated in 2021 when they consented to end their protest against the now-repealed farm laws
- Enforcement of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and agricultural workers, as well as the forgiveness of farm debts
- Center to ensure "justice" for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence

The 'Chalo Delhi' demonstration by farmers in Punjab and neighbouring agricultural regions will continue today as union leaders of the protesting farmer union will continue their advance to the national capital on February 14. While the police are not actively impeding the movement of farmers from the state towards Delhi, a state of high alert has been declared in Punjab, with approximately 70% of the entire state police force instructed to remain on duty in the field.

West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar, along with other leaders and workers of the party, staged a sit-in protest in Sandeshkhali. He said: "The police detained us and party workers... The police misbehaved even with the women workers of the party... We will take the police to the court... They treated us like thieves or criminals... The police do not obey the Constitution of the CrPC, they only listen to Mamata Banerjee..."

Section 144 had been imposed on Monday in the vicinity of the SP’s office in West Bengal’s Basirhat in view of the proposed agitation by the BJP. According to reports, the orders were enforced under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) from 6 am to 6 pm. However, a scuffle broke out between security forces and the BJP workers, who marched to the SP office to gherao over the issue of alleged systematic sexual assault on women in the region.

A clash broke out between the police and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the latter marched towards the Superintendent of Police (SP) office in Basirhat in the wake of alleged systemic sexual assault on women in North 24 Parganas' Sandeshkhali.

Good morning, Moneycontrol viewers! Follow along as we cover the biggest news making the headlines in India and the rest of the world, including day 2 of PM Modi's visit to the UAE, where he is expected to inaugurate the first Hindu temple in the Middle Eastern country, the Baps Mandir, the ongoing farmers protest in New Delhi, violence in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, and many more. Stay tuned..