Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Bhagirath Choudhary, invited protesting farmers to engage in talks with the government on Friday, emphasizing that the doors for dialogue are open. He expressed a willingness to meet the farmers, saying, “I am also their brother. If they want to come, the doors are open. If they want us to go there, we will go in between them to have a dialogue.”
Earlier that day, farmers participating in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest were stopped at the Shambhu border while on their way to Delhi to press for their demands. The farmers had announced plans to march to the national capital to raise their concerns.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, speaking at the border, said, “They (police) will not let us go to Delhi. Farmer leaders have been injured. We will hold a meeting to decide our next steps.” Pandher insisted that the farmers should be allowed into Delhi for talks with the government and that they should be provided a space in the city to protest.
“We should be allowed to go to Delhi peacefully, or the government should engage with us on our demands. We have been asking for a letter from the central government or the Haryana or Punjab CM offices to address our concerns. We want the central government to accept our demands, give us a place to protest in Delhi, and restore internet services in Ambala,” he stated.
Earlier, police officials had said the farmers did not have permission to enter Haryana. Drone footage showed heavy police barricades, and authorities deployed a large police presence at the Shambhu border. In an effort to disperse the crowds, the police used tear gas. “The farmers do not have permission to enter Haryana. The Ambala administration has imposed Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS),” a police officer said.
In response to the protests, the Haryana government issued an internet shutdown order for ten villages in Ambala from December 6 to 9 to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Farmer groups, including the Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP), are demanding compensation and a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
With inputs from ANI.
