Farmers' Protest News Highlights: Will continue agitation until our demands are met, says farmer leaders on protest against new agri laws

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Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on November 27 alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "badly stuck" as the newly enacted farm laws were brought in only to "favour" the "rich" but now he has to face the protests from the farmers.

"Prime Minister Modi is making a statement which has no basis. He is trying to make the whole picture muddy by telling a half-truth. Farmers used to sell outside their districts, to other people and cooperation before as well. The Prime Minister is trying to say meaningless things now that he is badly stuck as these [farm] laws were brought in only to favour the very rich, give them a huge amount of land and make them masters of farmers' produce," Dikshit told ANI.

A day after the agitating farmers threatened to block all entry points to the national capital, the Delhi Police on November 30 enhanced security deployment at all the borders points connecting the city with neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Rejecting the Centre's offer to hold talks once they move to the Burari ground, the farmers protesting against the new agricultural reform laws have been staying put at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders.

"Delhi Police has strengthened its presence at various border points in the wake of the farmers protest. All internal and outside forces have been mobilised to the maximum," a senior police officer said.

Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava visited Singhu border to take stock of the security arrangements. (PTI)

"I have sold about 125 quintals of kharif paddy in an APMC mandi and received MSP payment in my bank account. But what is the guarantee this will continue if such trade is permitted outside mandis. This is our worry," said a protesting farmer Ranveer Singh at Singhu border.

Ranveer Singh 44, Pradhan of Shahbazpur village in Tarn Taran district of Punjab, has travelled with his fellow 125 farmers in six tractor-trolleys covering a distance of about 425 km in this winter and reached at the Delhi border.

Like other protesting farmers associated with over 32 farm organizations, his only demand is "repeal of the three new farm laws" enacted by the central government which he fears will dismantle the MSP system and put next generation farmers at risk of exploitation by private players.

Farmers protesting against the Centre''s new agri laws will stay put at the UP Gate border of the national capital, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Uttar Pradesh secretary Harendra Nehra said on Monday, asserting that they will not move till the legislations are rolled back.
More are continuously arriving at the protest site from various districts of the state and "we are camping here" till the Centre fulfils farmers'' demands, he said.

BKU national president Naresh Tikait, who is at the UP Gate border, said, "We have sufficient ration to continue till the next Republic Day, if our demands are not met".

"We will not go for a dialogue at the Sant Nirankari ground in Burari in Delhi. We will talk with the government on our own conditions at the Ramlila ground in the national capital," he said. (PTI)

Delhi: Farmers continue their protest against Farm Laws at Singhu Border (Delhi-Haryana) by lighting candles amidst Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations.

"This candle march is being organised by farmers against Centre's 3 farm laws," says Rubinder Ghuman, Activist supporting farmers. pic.twitter.com/87Gsqzxbdt

— ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2020

Long queues of vehicles choked the roads in parts of the national capital on November 30 as the Delhi Police kept the Singhu and Tikri borders closed and heightened checking at other places in the wake of the ongoing protests by farmers.
Both the border points at Singhu and Tikri remained closed with the farmers rejecting the Centre''s offer to hold talks over the new farm laws opposed by them.

The closure of borders has also resulted in heavy traffic on other alternate routes between Delhi and Haryana.

The supply of vegetables and fruits to the city from other states has been impacted and it has been halved at Azadpur Mandi, one of Delhi's largest wholesale market, owing to the protest by farmers at the Singhu and Tikri border points of the national capital for the last five days.Vendors in other parts of Delhi said due to curtailed supply, the wholesale rates of seasonal vegetables has gone up by Rs 50- Rs 100.

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Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday hit out at Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar over his remarks that he did not consider using water cannons and tear gas shells as use of force against the protesting farmers. Showering jets of cold water on the farmers who have left their homes to seek justice in the harsh winter and open skies during the pandemic is not a minor action, it is inhuman, the former Haryana chief minister said. Hooda, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, said, "The Chief Minister should know how deadly the use of tear gas can prove to be for the elderly farmers who are also part of the movement. Four days ago, the farmers were going to Delhi with their demands, they did not have any confrontation with the Haryana government nor were they performing any dharna in Haryana."Four days ago, the farmers were going to Delhi with their demands, they did not have any confrontation with the Haryana government nor were they performing any dharna in Haryana," the former Chief Minister said in a statement. Their demand was from the central government and in such a situation, the Haryana government had no right to stop the farmers from proceeding to the national capital. Despite this, the government adopted every tactic to stop the farmers, the statement said. Justifying why Haryana authorities initially stopped farmers from Punjab at inter-state borders, Khattar had told reporters in Hisar on Sunday, "We stopped them and told them no one will allow such big gatherings in Delhi, but they did not listen and went forcibly ahead." (PTI)

Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, an alliance partner of NDA, on Monday said he will have to reconsider his party''s support to the Centre if the new agricultural reform laws are not withdrawn.Beniwal, the convener of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the three farm laws immediately and implement all the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission.“RLP is an alliance partner of NDA, but its strength lies in youth and farmers, and if prompt action is not taken in this matter in the interest of farmers, I will have to reconsider on being part of the NDA,” he tweeted.Beniwal is the only MP of RLP party which has three MLAs in Rajasthan. (PTI)

The Left parties on Monday called upon their state units to coordinate andorganiseprotests in support for the farmers agitating against the three farm laws.In a joint statement, five Left parties -- the CPI(M), CPI,RSP,AIFBand CPI(ML) -- extended their complete support to and solidarity with the protests by the farmers."Lakhs have converged around Delhi demanding the withdrawal of theagrilaws, passed in parliament in a brazen anti-democratic manner, and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill," it stated.Braving intense repression and in the midst of severe cold wave conditions, lakhs of farmers have reached Delhi. However, they are not being permitted to come to Parliament, as announced earlier, to present their demands, it stated."The Left parties call upon all their units in the country to coordinate andorganisejoint solidarity protest actions in multifarious forms appropriate to the concrete local situation. The calls given by thekisanorganisations, agriculturallabourorganisationsand trade unions must be supported," the statement said.The Left parties demanded that the Centre accede to the demands of the protesting farmers for safeguarding Indian agriculture, food security, remunerative returns to the farmers, prevent artificial food shortages and rise in prices of essential commodities.The statement comes a day after the Left parties along with three other opposition parties issued a joint statement in support of the farmers and condemning the action against them as they tried to enter Delhi.

|Haryana MLA Sombir Sangwan quits as chairman of State Livestock Development Board to extend his support to farmers gathered at Delhi's borders protesting Centre's new farm laws.