Intensifying their protest, the agitating farmers of Punjab and Haryana have blocked the Delhi-Jaipur highway today, a day after one of the 32 protesting unions moved the Supreme Court on Monday regarding the Central government’s contentious farm laws.
In view of the situation, thousands of policemen have been deployed at entry points to the national capital to block the movement of the agitating farmers. According to Delhi Police, about two thousand and 3,500 cops have been deployed in Gurgaon and Faridabad respectively to stop the farmers from entering the national capital. The two cities lie in Haryana and share borders with Delhi. Incidentally they both are counted as part of the National Capital Region (NCR).
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) filed a petition on Friday regarding the three farm laws which the farmers think is in the interests of big industrialists as it has sought to abolish the APMC.
In response to the protests which has entered its third week, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has planned a massive campaign throughout the country to seek support for the new farm laws. As part of the initiative, as many as 100 press conferences and 700 farmers’ meets have been planned across the country.
Meanwhile the farmer leaders have strongly dismissed the government allegations that their movement has been hijacked by ultra-left elements. Raminder Singh Patiyal, one of the farmer leaders, said: “We reject this claim of the government. No one can influence us.”
In Haryana, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala of the JJP, has threatened to withdraw support if the coalition is unable to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) due to the farmers.
Earlier this week, a meeting between Home Minister Amit Shah and the farmer leaders failed to yield the desired results. The farmers have repeatedly maintained that the new laws will leave them at the mercy of big industrialists though the government has time and again said that the laws will bring prosperity to the farm sector.
