Farmers Protest in Delhi Today, Delhi Chalo Kisan Andolan Highlights: Protesting farmers from Punjab and Haryana began their ‘Chalo Delhi’ march on Tuesday. Massive security arrangements have been put in place at the borders of the national capital to stop the farmers from entering into the city.
More than 200 farmers’ unions are headed to Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP). In a last-ditch attempt, the Centre held a five-hour long meeting with the farmers on Monday, but negotiations ended in stalemate as the farmers said their protest would go as planned.
The Delhi Police has put up massive barricading, concrete barriers and barbed wire to obstruct the entry of farmers into the city. Traffic advisories have been issued as heavy traffic congestion is anticipated in Delhi and NCR regions.
Farmers Protest Today Live News: Farmers to begin march towards Delhi today. Security has been beefed up and barricades erected on borders. Follow Financial Express for all the latest updates.
A group of farmers from Tamil Nadu have pledged their support to the 'Delhi Chalo' movement led by farmers from Punjab and Haryana, ANI reported.
Demonstrating solidarity with their counterparts protesting at the Delhi-Haryana border, the Trichy farmers were observed holding human skeletons and laying down on the road.
(Image: ANI)
As farmers have started a marched towards Delhi to press the Centre to meet their demands for the enactment of a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a social media post on X, said that the "Congress is ready to give guarantee of MSP".
He wrote on X in Hindi, "Today is a historic day! Congress has decided to give legal guarantee of MSP to every farmer on crops, as per the Swaminathan Commission. This step will change the lives of 15 crore farmer families by ensuring their prosperity. This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice."
The police and security personnel, deployed at the Shambhu border to control the situation amid the farmers protest, used water cannons to disperse the crowd gathered at a flyover.
The protesting farmers vandalise flyover safety barriers at the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu border as they march towards Delhi to press the Centre to meet their demands.
Amid the farmers' protest, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced on Tuesday that multiple gates have been closed as per security instructions.
According to Delhi Metro, the gates that might remain closed include: Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Janpath, Khan Market and Lok Kalyan Marg.
After the administration used tear gas to disperse crowds gathered at the Shambhu border, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, "...Around 10,000 people are here at the Shambhu border. The farmers are maintaining a peaceful situation here and tear gas is being used against us through drones. (Protest) will continue until the government agrees to our demands."
Thousands of farmers affiliated with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have embarked on a march from various regions of Punjab and Haryana towards Delhi to push the Centre to address their demands.
Foremost among these demands is the enactment of a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops - a crucial lifeline for farmers facing market uncertainties. Read more
Upon reaching the Shambhu border, the farmers began to break barricades erected to stall the 'Chalo Dilli' march. Responding to this, the Haryana police fired rounds of tear gas from drones to disperse the mob.
On the ongoing farmers' 'Chalo Dilli' march, Haryana Congress MP Deepender S Hooda said, "The government should talk to the farmers on their demands including a law on MSP. "
The Red Fort has been shut for the day for the public amid the farmers' stir.
Heavy vehicular traffic was witnessed from Noida towards Delhi on the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) road on Tuesday. Delhi borders are being heavily guarded and barricaded to prevent protesting farmers from entering the national capital.
Talking about security arrangements amid farmers' protest march towards Delhi, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Additional CP Northern Range, Delhi Police said, "A sufficient number of police & CAPF personnel have been deployed on all Delhi borders. During such large-scale protests, we request the administration to designate any large area as a temporary holding area or temporary detention centre. For this protest, we've requested the administration to designate any large area as a temporary holding area to keep detained protestors."
In addition to the February 13 ‘Dilli Chalo’ call by a faction of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), the SKM and central trade unions have also called for a Gramin Bharat Bandh scheduled for February 16.
While the Gramin Bharat Bandh will run from 6 am to 4 pm, farmers will join a massive chakka jam on main roads nationwide from 12 pm to 4 pm. In Punjab, most of the state and national highways will be closed for four hours.
The demands are almost the same as those of two forums of farmer unions who have given the ‘Dilli Chalo’ call. Apart from the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, pension to farmers and other demands of farmers, the issues of employees are implementation of OPS, amendments of labour laws to be withdrawn and many other demands.
Talking about the farmers march towards Delhi, Union Minister Arjun Munda on Tuesday said, "We care about the interests of the farmers. It is not our concern if someone is doing politics over this issue. We have always been ready for talks and discussions and we are ready to do everything possible to find a solution to this issue. This issue also concerns the state governments. We need time to understand this issue and find a method to solve this..."
As the farmers began their march from Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab Police allowed them to cross the Rajpura bypass to head towards Haryana's Ambala onward to Delhi for their protest to press for their demands.
The farmers have raised some key demands that include a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price for 23 crops, farm loan waivers, implementation of the Swaminathan committee recommendations, pensions for farmers, and "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
The Haryana government has imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in as many as 15 districts of the state to prohibit the assembly of five or more people and ban any kind of demonstration or march with tractor trolleys as farmers begin 'Chalo Dilli' march.
In order to stop the farmers from Haryana and Punjab from entering Delhi, barbed wires are being fixed using concrete mix at Singhu border.
Multiple vehicles led by Kisan Mazdoor Morcha members started the 'Dilli Chalo' march on Tuesday from Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib. Crowds have started to gather at the Shambhu border.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1757261327016354210?
Many farmers on their tractor trolleys began the march from Fatehgarh Sahib and are moving towards Delhi via the Shambhu border. Another group is moving towards the national capital from Mehal Kalan in Sangrur through the Khanauri border.
Heavy police presence was seen at Shambhu border near Ambala in Haryana as farmers reached the area to move towards Delhi for their protest demanding law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP).
In a letter to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has requested suo motu action against farmers undertaking the 'Delhi Chalo' protest march.
SCBA president Adish Aggarwala urged the CJI to take cognisance of "erring farmers" coming from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana for a large-scale protest in Delhi.
He expressed concerns that the protest could disrupt court proceedings and has requested that no adverse orders be issued should lawyers be unable to attend due to the agitation.
The Delhi Police and Noida Police will intensively carry out checking. Barriers have also been installed on all borders connecting Gautam Buddha Nagar to Delhi. The traffic advisory aims at managing vehicle movement amidst the protests. Check out the full advisory
Ahead of commencing the march towards Delhi, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher met with the farmer unions and addressed the media. He said, "Congress party does not support us, we consider Congress equally responsible as much as the BJP. Congress itself brought these laws...We are not in favour of anyone, we raise the voice of farmers..."
He added, "We tried to find a solution so that we do not have to stand against the government. We were expecting that we would be given something. In the 5-hour-long meeting yesterday, we put forward the situation of Haryana...The people of Punjab and Haryana are being tortured. It seems that both these states are not a part of India anymore, they are being treated as international border..."
(ANI)
Bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen at the Ghazipur border ahead of the 'Dilli Chalo' march on Tuesday morning.
To address the farmers’ protest and their march towards Parliament, Delhi Police has proactively initiated preparations to manage the escalating protest. Entry points to the national capital are fortified with multiple layers of barricades featuring concertina wires, nails, and substantial concrete blocks and containers. See the preparations in photos here
The Haryana Police has issued a traffic advisory urging commuters to limit travel on the main roads of the state to urgent situations on February 13. The warning comes in anticipation of potential traffic disruptions on major routes from Haryana to Punjab, due to farmers’ ‘Delhi chalo’ march.
Authorities have sealed the Punjab-Haryana borders in Ambala, Jind, and Fatehabad districts. The march, organised by more than 200 farmers’ unions, aims to exert
pressure on the central government to address various demands.
The traffic advisory suggested alternative routes for commuters travelling from Chandigarh to Delhi and vice versa due to potential disruptions from the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march. Click here for adviory
Union ministers, including Food and Consumer Affairs minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture minister Arjun Munda, held a five-hour meeting in Chandigarh with farmer leaders on Monday but the negotiations reportedly ended in a stalemate as the farmers are continuing with their scheduled march.