Stiff standoff on farmers’ Delhi march resulting in political imbroglio

By Ananya Sharma

Chandigarh/New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is having a protracted word of wars with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar over the latter’s state police physically preventing the passage of farmers from the northern states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and the state of Kerala on the southern tip of India on their “Delhi Chalo” protest march today.

Accusing Khattar of indulging in an escape route, the Punjab CM pointed out today that farmers from Haryana too were participating in the protest and it should not be taken as an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party stand but a genuine protest cry from the farmers who are unhappy with the new bill that has been passed in parliament recently. It was learnt that after indulging in pitched battle, over a narrow bridge area that connected the two neighbouring states, the farmers figured out a way to pass through Haryana and proceed on their two-day “Delhi Chalo” march.

Also read: Government sought to allay farmers’ fears as Parliament passed controversial agri-bills

The protesting farmers who fear that the new laws passed by Parliament will be instrumental in decreasing their incomes or margins over their crop products and also give an unfair advantage to huge retailers who they perceive as “preying on their source of livelihoods”. However, it led to a huge jam in the outskirts of New Delhi, engendering vehicle to vehicle checking of all traffic that was heading towards the national capital region and beyond. The checking was taking place at the Delhi-Haryana border, Delhi-Gurugam border and the Delhi-Noida border. It caused severe traffic-jam for all vehicles headed for the capital region.

Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, averred that the new agricultural laws enacted by the government was indeed the need of the hour, adding, “Our government is not averse to holding talks with the farmers and allaying their fears. We have already set a date for the hearing. It’s posted to be held on December 3.” Meanwhile, the Delhi police authorities voiced that all precautions had been taken including the induction of drones in the Delhi-Haryana border crossing and the latest is that there is no movement of any marchers from the farming community into the state.

The situation also created disruption in the Delhi metro services that are linked with neighbouring regions of Noida and Gurugram. The latest heard on this was that metro services from Delhi will be allowed to proceed till the neighbouring towns. However, the up-traffic towards Delhi will not be permitted. The Haryana government on its part has cautioned its citizens from traveling on the National Highway 10 and National Highway 44.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal also commented vitriolically on the stand taken by the BJP government in treating farmers as the “enemy of the state.” She had earlier in September this year, quit the union cabinet in protest against what she perceived as the anti-farmer legislation. This happened when the bill passed in parliament received the President’s consent.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has come out with a statement that travel restrictions towards the capital will continue to be in place on Friday too. With continuing war of words on both sides, namely the Congress and BJP camps, the “Delhi Chalo” protest is at the crossroads as the course of action to be adapted by the marching farmers being faced with uncertainty.