Farmers' rally: Samyukt Kisan Morcha calls off tractor parade with immediate effect

26 January,2021 09:07 AM IST |  New Delhi  |  mid-day online correspondent

Samyukt Kisan Morcha has asked famers to return to their respective protest site.

A visual from Delhi tractor rally | Credit: Diwakar Sharma


Police used tear gas on farmers at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in New Delhi as farmers' tractor rally arrived there on Tuesday. Farmers also broke the barricading at Delhi-Haryana tikri border as they began their rally as part of the ongoing protest against the new agriculture laws on the occasion of Republic Day. They are heading towards Kanjhawala Chowk-Auchandi border-KMP-GT road junction.

Hundreds of farmers, comprising mostly the youths removed the barricades forcefully even as senior members in the groups were seen persuading them not to take matters into their hands and protest in a peaceful manner.

The youths also defied the conditions put by the farmers' unions as they played loud music and rode their tractors at high speed on the highway that connects Delhi with Uttar Pradesh.

Thousands of farmers marched into the national capital on foot and while riding tractors, even as paramilitary forces and Delhi Police personnel kept a wary eye on the evolving situation.

A senior police officer said that farmers began their rally before the scheduled time between 12 pm and 5 pm once the "official" Republic Day celebrations were over.

Kisan Congress Vice Chairman Surender Solanki, who is leading a protest by farmers at the Tikri border, told IANS: "Thousands of farmers have been assembling at the Tikri border since 3 am today for the tractor parade."

"Around 6 am, we began our tractor parade with hundreds of tractors. And we also removed the barricades put at the Jharoda border."

A temporary wall has been erected to seal the Karnal bypass to stop the entry of vehicles into the national capital.

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At Swaroop Nagar in New Delhi. Pic/ Diwakar Sharma

Flag hoisting at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Tuesday. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The eleventh round of talks between farmers and the government was held on Friday.

The talks of farmer unions and the government have seemingly broken down after the former insisted on their demand for the repeal of three new farm laws and the latter asked them to reconsider its offer to put these laws on hold for about 18 months. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday said that the agitation against the farm laws which has been going on for almost two months will end soon.

(With inputs from agencies)

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