Amritsar (Punjab):

As part of the ongoing protest, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Tuesday called for a ‘Rail Roko’ on Wednesday in Punjab for three hours starting from 12 noon. He appealed to the people of Punjab to participate in the protest.

“Tomorrow we will conduct Rail Roko in Punjab; I urge everyone to stop railways from 12 to 3 PM,” Mr Pandher told ANI.

Further appealing to everyone to support farmers’ protests, he said, “Support farmers’ protests more and more…. The Punjabis need to fight as one.”

He accused the central government of not resolving the issue.

“All unions are trying to protest in a uniform manner……….Our protest is not against state government,” the farmer leader added.

When asked about Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s hunger strike, Mr Pandher said that Dallewal’s health condition is critical.

“Dallewal’s condition is critical; if anything happens, then the central government will be responsible for it,” Mr Pandher cautioned.

Reportedly, the ongoing farmer protests have entered their 309th day.

“There is pressure from 140 crore Indians, 3 crore Punjabis, and 2.5 crore Haryanvis on the Modi government… We have 12 demands,” he stated.

“The singer of Punjab made this issue a people’s movement,” he added.

Meanwhile, New Delhi [India], December 17 : Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Tuesday morning moved an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the ongoing hunger strike by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, which has entered its 21st day.

“Mr. Dallewal, the president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), is in critical condition, with medical experts advising immediate hospitalisation due to his deteriorating health. Despite this he has refused medical intervention, insisting on continuing his hunger strike for the cause of farmers,” the Lok Sabha MP said in his notice.

He further urged the central government to take ‘immediate’ action and engage with the farmers’ representatives in a ‘meaningful’ dialogue.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesting farmers at the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu Border. Reportedly, 6 farmers have been injured and are being taken to a local hospital.

A group of 101 farmers resumed their ‘Delhi chalo’ foot march at 12 pm on Saturday, pressing the government to fulfill their long-standing demands, including a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

This is the third time farmers have attempted to march towards the national capital Delhi since December 6. Earlier on December 6 and 8, farmers were stopped by security personnel in Haryana.

Ahead of the foot march today, the Haryana government suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services in 12 villages of Ambala till December 17 to prevent the spread of misinformation.

The order applies to the following villages – Dangdehri, Lehgarh, Manakpur, Dadiyana, Bari Ghel, Choti Ghel, Lharsa, Kalu Majra, Devi Nagar (Hira Nagar, Naresh Vihar), Saddopur, Sultanpur and Kakru.

On the sidelines, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border for 19 days now. The Supreme Court bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan has directed the Centre and Punjab government representatives to meet Mr Dallewal and persuade him to break his fast.

Chandigarh:

A ‘jatha’ of 101 farmers will resume their foot march to Delhi at 12 noon on Saturday from the Shambhu border point to press the Centre for various demands including a legal guarantee for minimum support price.

The Haryana government suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services in 12 villages in Ambala till December 17.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday said the group of farmers will proceed towards Delhi.

It will be the third attempt by the protesting farmers to march towards the national capital since December 6. They had earlier made two attempts — December 6 and December 8 — but were not allowed to proceed by security personnel in Haryana.

A multi-layered barricading has already been done by the Haryana security personnel to prevent farmers from marching towards Delhi.

Meanwhile, mobile internet and bulk SMS services were suspended early Saturday to maintain public peace, according to an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Sumita Misra.

The order to suspend mobile internet in Dangdehri, Lehgarh, Manakpur, Dadiyana, Bari Ghel, Choti Ghel, Lharsa, Kalu Majra, Devi Nagar (Hira Nagar, Naresh Vihar), Saddopur, Sultanpur and Kakru villages in Ambala was issued to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order, Misra said.

The Ambala district administration has already clamped a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that bans the unlawful assembly of five or more people in the district.

The Ambala police had earlier said the farmer outfits, which are agitating for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price and other demands, can march to Delhi only after getting permission from the national capital administration.

The farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and KMM have been pressing for various demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). They have also been pressing the Centre to initiate talks with them to address their issues.

Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s fast unto death at the Khanauri border point entered the 19th day on Saturday. Doctors have already recommended his hospitalisation, saying because of the prolonged fast, he has turned weak.

However, the protesting farmers have formed a security ring around Dallewal so that the state authorities could not remove him from the protest site.

The Punjab Police had forcibly removed Dallewal from the Khanauri border point on November 26, just hours before he was going to start his fast unto death.

On Friday, SKM leader Rakesh Tikait met Dallewal and also called for unity of farmers’ groups for a “joint fight”.

Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the agitating farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP on crops.

Farmers under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

Besides a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in the electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Congress on Friday called on the Bharatiya Janata Party to respond proactively to protesting farmers’ demands about a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price, or MSP, and warned the government, “Do not allow the farmers of this country to face a situation like Manipur”.

The opposition party also slammed the government for taking the time out to watch a movie – on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, members of his cabinet, and MPs attended a screening of ‘The Sabarmati Report‘, a movie about the 2002 train-burning incident in Gujarat’s Godhra.

“The Modi government has time to watch movies but does not have time to listen to demands of farmers. Prime Minister Modi should talk to the farmers without delay and immediately pass a law on MSP… this is the demand of the Congress,” party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

“The Congress party is with the farmers,” Mr Surjewala said, also taking the opportunity to throw a jab over the extent of security deployed to stop the farmers and the India-China border crisis

“If the three-layer security which has been put in place for the farmers in Haryana had been put in place on the Chinese border, then China would not have occupied the Indian border,” he said.

The reference to, and warning about, Manipur was stark. Nearly 300 people have been killed since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur in May 2023.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been fiercely critical of the handling of the crisis by BJP, which is also in power in Manipur, and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue.

The BJP has not yet responded to this round of attacks by the Congress.

The Manipur warning came on a day when a group of 101 farmers began a ‘Dilli chalo’ march to press home a list of nearly five-year-old demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

READ | 8 Farmers Injured In Tear Gas Shelling, Protest March Over MSP Halted

The march, from Shambhu on the Haryana-Punjab border, began at 1 pm but ran immediately into fortified, multi-layered police barricades across National Highway 44.

In the clashes that followed, police fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Eight people were injured, and two others seriously wounded, according to farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher.

Visuals shared by news agency IANS showed chaotic scenes at a police barricade across National Highway 44. In the 73-second video white tear gas smoke enveloped protesting farmers.

Ambala, Haryana: Police fired tear gas shells at the protesters pic.twitter.com/3sCa9haqT5

— IANS (@ians_india) December 6, 2024

As the video pans out, rolls of barbed wire can also be seen and the gassed farmers are seen pulling back. An elderly farmer, affected by the tear gas, is attended to by fellow-protesters.

Beaten back for the day, the farmers said they would not admit defeat but would give the government 24 hours to reach out to them with a proposition to address their concerns.

The farmers – lakhs of whom have been protesting since September 2020, when the Modi government passed three farm law that were severely criticised and later rolled back – also lamented the action taken against them. “Modiji cannot justify the actions against us. We are deeply hurt.”

“If our protest is allowed inside Delhi… I will ask, ‘Why are we treated as enemies?’ Punjabis and Haryanvis saved the country from hunger,” Pandher said.

Shortly before the march began, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told Parliament the Narendra Modi government is committed to purchasing farmers’ produce at MSP.

“I want to assure the House… all produce of farmers will be purchased at Minimum Support Price. This is the Modi government and (we will) fulfil Modiji‘s guarantee,” Mr Chouhan said, also taking the opportunity for a dig at the Congress, referring to his “friends from the other side”.

“…they said, on record, they cannot accept the MS Swaminathan Commission recommendations… especially on paying 50 per cent more than cost price,” he said, declaring the government is already buying paddy, wheat, jowar, soyabean at 50 per cent over cost of production from three years ago.

Today’s protest was meant to press home farmers’ longstanding demands for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price, waiver of farm loans, and protection from increased electricity tariffs.

NDTV Explains | Centre’s 5-Year MSP Plan, And Why Farmers Are Not Convinced

The demand for legal backing for MSPs – which refers to a priced fixed by the government to protect farmers from a steep fall in crop prices; for example, during a bumper crop when prices plummet – a has been a core ask of protests that began in September 2020.

MSPs, however, have no legal backing, meaning the government is not obliged to buy, for example, 10 per cent of a farmer’s paddy crop at the floor price. And it is this that the farmers want changed.

With input from agencies

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Farmers will march towards the Parliament complex on Monday to press five key demands, leading to increased security and route diversions in the Delhi-NCR regions.

Here are the key developments:

New Delhi:

Farmers pushing the government to revamp the MSP, or minimum support price, policy met Congress MP Rahul Gandhi inside the Parliament complex Wednesday morning.

Mr Gandhi, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, met a delegation of 12 farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Deepender Singh Hooda were also part of the meeting, as were MPs Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

There was confusion before the meeting as the farmers were not allowed inside. “We invited them… but they are not allowing them inside Parliament. They are farmers, maybe this is why…” Mr Gandhi said.

“…you will have to ask the Prime Minister the reason for this…”

कुछ किसान मुझसे मिलना चाहते थे, इसलिए मैंने उन्हें अंदर ऑफिस में बुलाया था।

लेकिन उन्हें अंदर आने नहीं दिया गया, इसका कारण आपको प्रधानमंत्री से पूछना पड़ेगा।

: नेता विपक्ष श्री @RahulGandhi

संसद परिसर, नई दिल्ली pic.twitter.com/jbidAjAFqV

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 24, 2024

“Rahul Gandhi will raise the voice of farmers inside Parliament…” Mr Warring told NDTV after the meeting. On reports the farmers are planning another march on Delhi, he said, “They have all rights to come to Delhi and protest (and) if a private member’s bill is required then we will bring that too.”

Earlier, sources said the farmers spoke to Mr Gandhi about issues in their respective states, and also asked him to introduce a private member’s bill to fulfill long-standing demands – to revise MSP and ensure legal backing. These demands have been at the core of their protests since it began in 2020.

Farmer unions across the country want the MSP – a purchase guarantee set by the government to protect agriculturists from steep fall in crop prices – to be based on the Swaminathan Commission’s C2+50 formula, which factors in cost of capital and land rent when calculating support prices.

READ | “Rejected”: Farmers Dismiss Centre’s 5-Year MSP Contract Offer

The government, however, is reluctant to drop the existing A2+FL+50 per cent method.

Apart from changing the formula, farmers also want legal backing for this purchase price; at present the government is not obliged to buy, for example, 10 per cent of a paddy crop at the floor price.

In 2020/21 lakhs of farmers gathered to march on Delhi, prompting the government to set up war-zone like defence measures around the national capital. The ‘farmer army’ – complete with tractors and supplies for a months-long siege – was held to makeshift camps blocking key roads into the city.

NDTV Explains | What Are Key Demands Of Farmers That Remain Unresolved?

The furore over the protests also made international headlines and sparked bitter fights between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition, led by Mr Gandhi’s Congress.

After months of blockades around Delhi and violent clashes between farmers and police in various states, the government was forced to stand down and roll back three contentious farm laws.

The MSP issue, however, has rumbled on, with farmers insistent the formula change.

A second round of protests – a ‘Delhi Chalo 2.0’ that also demanded loan waivers and freezing of electricity tariffs for farmers – erupted in February, months before a general election in which the BJP lost seats in key states and after talks with the farmers failed to resolve the situation.

READ | Farmers Prep For Delhi March After Haryana Told To Remove Blocks

The February protests were paused after the government made a fresh offer, but that was rejected by the farmers; the government had, they said, again failed to meet a core demand – the MSP row.

NDTV Explains | Centre’s 5-Year MSP Plan, And Why Farmers Are Not Convinced

The government had proposed a five-year MSP contract, based on the old formula.

Meanwhile, on Monday two farmer unions – the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha – declared they would burn effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They also plan to take out a nationwide tractor rally on August 15, Independence Day.

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New Delhi:

Nearly three decades ago, over a thousand farmers in Tamil Nadu, unhappy with government policies, filed nominations from a single constituency in the Lok Sabha polls to draw attention to their grievances.

It was also the only time when the Election Commission (EC) had to adapt by issuing a “ballot book” instead of traditional “ballot papers” to accommodate the unexpected 1,033 candidates from Erode district’s Modakurichi.

However, farmers from Punjab, who have been camping at the state’s border with Haryana for almost two months now, do not think electoral politics is the way to go.

These farmers began a march to Delhi on February 13 to press their demands for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and a farm loan waiver, etc., but were stopped at the Haryana border by security personnel.

The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri points between Punjab and Haryana since then.

All India Kisan Sabha member Krishna Prasad said the farmers are committed to opposing the BJP government and its policies.

“But we do not plan to take that (electoral) route. In the mahapanchayat held in Delhi, we had announced our stance to oppose the BJP and expose its policies. We are united in this cause,” Prasad told PTI.

Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh member Abhimanyu Kohar said, “We have been sitting at the borders since February 13 and we have distanced ourselves from electoral politics. We believe that all parties support farmers when in opposition but when in power, they all become pro-corporate and anti-farmer.” 

When 1,033 farmers from Modakurichi filed nominations for the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, the EC had to print “ballot papers like newspapers” and deploy over four-foot-tall ballot boxes. Voting hours were also extended to accommodate the long list of candidates.

In that election, DMK’s Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan emerged victorious, defeating ADMK’s R N Kittusamy.

Barring Jagadeesan, Kittusamy and an independent, all candidates lost their deposits. While 88 candidates received no votes, 158 polled just one vote each.

The 1996 general elections also saw the highest number of candidates at 13,000. Following this, the EC increased the security deposit amount from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000. This apparently helped in bringing down the number of contestants per seat to 8.75 in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Farmer leaders on Friday announced that the future course of action regarding their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march will be decided on February 29. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), spearheading the protests, outlined a list of activities planned for the next week. Until then, the farmers are determined to hold their ground at two protest sites on the Punjab-Haryana border – Shambhu and Khanauri.

A candle march is scheduled for today, followed by seminars on farmer-related issues tomorrow. On February 26, the protestors intend to burn effigies of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and ministers. In addition, several meetings of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha forums are slated for the subsequent two days.

The demands put forth by the protesting farmers, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP), the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and a farm loan waiver, remain at the core of the agitation. 

A protester died and a dozen police personnel were injured during clashes at Khanauri on Wednesday, prompting the farmers to defer their march for two days. Shubhkaran Singh, a 21-year-old native of Bathinda, died in the clash. The farmer leaders expressed their grievances with the Punjab government regarding the registration of an FIR in Mr Singh’s death and insisted that the cremation would not proceed until their demands were met.

The situation escalated as the farmers criticised the Punjab Police for hesitating to file an FIR against security personnel from Haryana, whom the protestors held responsible for Mr Singh’s death. The farmers are demanding not only justice but also ‘martyr’ status for Mr Singh.

In response, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for Mr Singh’s sister. However, this move failed to appease the protestors, as they insisted on the registration of an FIR against those responsible for the young farmer’s death.

The farmer leaders also announced the death of another protesting farmer, 62-year-old Darshan Singh from Amargarh village in Bathinda, who died of a heart attack at the Khanauri border, marking the fourth casualty during the ongoing protests.

Finance Minister’s Promise

Amidst these developments, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that the Centre has formed a three-member committee of ministers to engage in negotiations with the farmers. Ms Sitharaman insisted that the government is committed to farmers’ welfare and highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s continuous efforts in this regard.

“I can provide a series of lists of all that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done for the farmers. From increasing their income to assisting with the smallest of expenses, PM Modi has taken every step for the welfare of the farmers. He works for even the small farmers,” Ms Sitharaman said.

Resolution Through Dialogue

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said there is a need for a resolution through dialogue.

Mr Tikait, a prominent figure in the farmers’ movement, highlighted the integral role played by those living in forest areas in protecting the environment. 

“People living in the forests protect the environment. From Bihar to Andhra Pradesh, which is a forest area, Adivasis worship the ‘Jungle’. No army and farmers are standing face to face. We have people in the army also who comes from a farming background. There should be a solution through dialogue. Continuous talks are going on with the Centre,” he said.
 

Chandigarh:

A police officer was injured Friday in a pitched battle between protesting farmers and cops in Khedi Chwpata in Haryana’s Hisar. Visuals showed a chaotic and volatile situation; police – escorted by riot personnel in full gear – can be seen taking people into custody while farmers surrounded them.

The violence – in which tear gas shells were fired and police resorted to a lathi charge, while protesters threw stones – broke after the farmers were stopped from marching to Khanauri on the Punjab border.

Tense stand off between farmers and cops in Haryana’s Hisar district as cops tried to stop farmers from reaching the Khanauri border. @ndtvpic.twitter.com/9UKrpVrVvm

— Mohammad Ghazali (@ghazalimohammad) February 23, 2024

They were headed to join thousands others who have gathered there, and at the Shambhu border crossing, ahead of a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to demand a legal guarantee for MSP, or minimum support price, and waiver of farm loans, pensions, and ollback of increased electricity rates, among other things.

Earlier today a 62-year-old farmer died in Khanauri after suffering a cardiac arrest.

READ | Another Protesting Farmer Dies, Leaders Want Job For His Family

Darshan Singh was from Punjab’s Bathinda district, and was the second person from Bathinda to have died in these protests; on Wednesday Subhkaran Singh, 21, died during a clash with the cops. 

Singh died after farmers rushed barricades set up by the police at the Khanauri border crossing to stop them from reaching Delhi. Farmer leaders said his body – a (delayed) postmortem showed a head injury – would not be cremated till the Punjab government registers a case against the person responsible. 

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann – who expressed sorrow over Subhkaran Singh’s death – said a case would be filed after the post-mortem. “Those responsible will have to face stringent action,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said, as he announced Rs 1 crore compensation and employment for Singh’s sister.

READ | Farmer’s Death: No Cremation Till FIR Is Filed, Say Union Leaders

Apart from Darshan Singh and Subhkaran Singh, at least two others – both over 60 – have died – from suspected heart attacks – in these protests, which follow nationwide (and frequently violent) agitations between 2020 and 2021, when tens of thousands of farmers marched on Delhi and set up camp on its borders, effectively blockading the national capital to press home their demands.

READ | “6 Months’ Ration, Diesel In Trollies”: Punjab Farmers Ready For Long Haul

The deaths forced farmer leaders to put their Delhi march plans on hold.

They have not, however, backed down and show no signs of doing so; last week a farmer leader told NDTV they had come with enough food and other essential provisions to last for six months, and will not disperse without having their concerns addressed.

The government has held four rounds of talks with the farmers, who are led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (the non-political unit of the union that spearheaded the 2020/21 protests) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. Both sides are expected to sit for a fifth round of talks shortly. 

Meanwhile, the political wing of the SKM has declared a “black Friday” and burnt effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his Haryana counterpart, Anil Vij, as well as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

READ | Black Day, Mahapanchayat: Farmers To Launch Mega Protests Today

Farmers’ unions has also called for a tractor rally on Monday and a day-long programme at Delhi’s Ram Leela Ground on March 14. “We will go without tractors… The government keeps saying they are not stopping us, so let’s see…”

The government has made one offer – a five-year contract to buy three types of pulses, maize, and cotton at the old MSP. This was rejected by the farmers, who want MSP coverage extended to all 23 cash crops, legal guarantees, and for the Swaminathan Commission’s updated payment formula to be used. 

NDTV Explains | Centre’s 5-Year MSP Plan, And Why Farmers Are Not Convinced

A delegation led by Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda has been speaking to the farmers, whose protest comes at a bad time for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, with a general election just weeks away. Mr Munda has asked farmers to remain patient and maintain the peace and, in remarks seen as a swipe at the opposition, warned them against allowing external forces to “hijack” their protests.

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