Farmers protest, February 21, 2024 | updates

The government has announced hiking sugarcane FRP by ₹25 to ₹340 per quintal for the 2024-25 season starting October.

Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) is the minimum price that mills have to pay to sugarcane growers.

The decision to increase the FRP of sugarcane was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ₹25 per quintal hike is the highest by the Modi government and the move comes ahead of the general elections.

Sugarcane is grown mainly in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.

“Keeping in view interest of sugarcane farmers (GannaKisan), the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for sugar season 2024-25 (October - September) at ₹340 per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10.25%” I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said at a media briefing.

The FRP has been determined on the basis of recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and after consultation with State governments and other stakeholders. — PTI

The Haryana Police on Wednesday fired tear gas shells to disperse farmers from Punjab at Shambhu and Khanauri border points as they tried to move towards barricades stalling their protest march to Delhi.

A drone was also deployed by security personnel at Shambhu to drop tear gas shells.

In Khanauri too, police fired tear gas shells to disperse farmers as they moved towards the barricades.

Following the tear gas shelling, a chaotic situation was witnessed at the protest sites with the farmers running for cover as the smoke enveloped the area. Many protesting farmers were seen wearing masks and glasses to protect themselves from the gas.

Drones are also being used by police to keep an eye on the activities of the farmers on the other side of the barricades. The farmer leaders have asked the protesters to maintain calm and peace.

PTI

Punjab Police on Wednesday requested all to maintain peace and harmony amid the ongoing dialogue between farmers and the Centre and appealed to the Haryana Police not to use force against protesting farmers.

The Punjab Police further appealed to farmers to stage a peaceful protest and not rush to Haryana barricades.

We advise you all to stay away from rumour mongers & verify news before sharing it on social media, Punjab Police appealed through a post on X.

ANI

KMM coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher said that as a part of their march only farmer leaders today started to move towards Haryana peacefully, but they were attacked with tear gas shells and bullets. “We want to tell the Centre government that this struggle will continue. What happened in Khanauri (where one farmer died) everyone saw that. We have decided to put the march to Delhi on hold for two days. We will have discussions against the backdrop of Khanauri incident, and then take a further call,” he said.

The Haryana Assembly should pass a resolution urging the Centre to accept the protesting farmers’ various demands, including a legal guarantee on crop MSP, the opposition Congress said on Wednesday.

During a debate on the Governor’s Address, senior Congress MLA Raghuvir Singh Kadian said, “Farmers are the backbone of the country. After the farm laws were repealed, they were given some assurances by the Centre but these have not been fulfilled.” Referring to the protesting farmers camping on the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points of the Punjab-Haryana border, he said the Centre should accept their demands and give a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

PTI

Bhartiya Kisan Union National Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said that if the government does not allow farmers to go to Delhi, the farmers also will not let them enter their villages during elections.

“Putting nails on the road is not justified. If they put nails on our way, we will also do the same in our villages. We also have to do barricading of our villages. If they are not allowing us to reach Delhi, we will not let them enter our villages,” Tikait told reporters when asked about obstacles, such as iron nails, being put on roads to prevent farmers from reaching Delhi.

Tikait attacked the Centre saying the BJP-led government is only for industrialists. “If it were a farmers’ government, a law guaranteeing MSP would have come into force.” He said that on Thursday a meeting of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) would be held to deliberate on the future course of the farmers’ agitation.

PTI

In a strong response to the Union Home Ministry’s letter on the ongoing farmers’ agitation, the AAP dispensation in Punjab Wednesday wrote to the Centre saying it is “completely wrong” to claim the state government was allowing gathering at the two border points with Haryana.

The Punjab government’s response came a day after the Centre conveyed its strong objection to the gathering of protesters, estimating that nearly 14,000 people have assembled along the Punjab-Haryana border.

In its communication to the Punjab government, the Union Home Ministry also said the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state over the past few days has been a matter of concern and asked it to take stringent action against lawbreakers.

PTI

Farmers from Punjab at Shambhu border tried to move towards the barricades on Wednesday as part of their protest march to Delhi over their demands with police using tear gas shells to control the situation.

The protesting farmers, whose demands include a legal guarantee for minimum support price, had earlier rejected the government’s offer after the fourth round of talks. They had announced that they would resume their protest on Wednesday.

Protesting farmers said Haryana Police had fired tear gas shells to disperse them.

Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda has said the government is willing for further talks with farmers.

ANI

According to an official statement, Shubhkaran Singh, (21) from Balloh village in Bathinda suffered a fatal head injury at Dhabi Gujran in Patiala. He was taken to Patiala’s Rajindra Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The cause of the injury is yet to be ascertained. However, farmer leaders have alleged that he was hit by a rubber bullet.

The statement added that during the ongoing farmer protest at nine people have suffered injuries at Shambhu and 14 at Dhabi Gujran, near Khanauri-Jind – on the inter-State boundary.

Separately, Haryana Police said that at the Data Singhwala border, the protesters surrounded the police from all sides by pouring chilli powder in the stubble, attacked the policemen using sticks along with stone pelting, in which 12 policemen were seriously injured.

Hundreds of farmers gathered in Indore on Wednesday with their tractors to protest against the acquisition of agricultural land for development projects.

The protesters, who had assembled at the Laxmibai Nagar agricultural produce market in the city on a call by the RSS-backed Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), claimed that they were being given low compensation compared to the market price for acquiring fertile agricultural land.

The farmers protested against the land acquisition for Indore’s Western Ring Road, Indore-Budhni rail line and other projects.

PTI

Commuters taking the expressway witnessed huge traffic jams at Delhi-Gurugram border Wednesday morning due to barricading by the Delhi Police to stop farmers from marching to the national capital.

The Delhi Police became alert again in view of the farmers’ protest in Manesar on Tuesday and their proposed march to Delhi.

Police checked the ID cards of the drivers and then only allowed them to go further. That, and closing of the service lanes near Rajokri, caused a glut of vehicles on the expressway.

The barricades were later removed by the Gurugram and Delhi Police and the normal run of the traffic restored. .

- PTI

Amid reports of a farmer death during the ongoing farmers protest at Punjab-Haryana boundary, Haryana Police has said so far, no farmer has died in the farmers movement on Wednesday. Police has termed it as a rumour. Two policemen and one protestor are injured at Data Singh-Khanori inter-State border, who are undergoing treatment, according to Haryana police.

- Vikas Vasudeva

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Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), one of the largest outfit in Punjab, which has extended support to ongoing march to Delhi, has urged the Centre to call a special session of the Parliament, to enact a law to guarantee MSP on crops. BKU (Ugrahan), president Joginder Singh said that the government should not use force to suppress the ongoing struggle of farmers.

- Vikas Vasudeva

Addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Narendra Modi Government has done “so much work” for farmers.

“Today also, Arjun Munda has promised a discussion [with the protesting farmers]. Any solution [to their issues] will come out from dialogue and discussions. The government is open to discussions with the farmers,” Mr. Prasad said.

“We appeal that the solution should come out peacefully,” he added. “Our government has done so much work for farmers. Farmers’ progress is our priority and would continue to remain so,” the former Union Minister said.

PTI

“After the fourth round, the government is ready to discuss all the issues like MSP demand, crop diversification, stubble issue, FIR in the fifth round of meeting. I again invite the farmer leaders for discussion. It is important for us to maintain peace,” says Arjun Munda, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Tribal Affair.

General Secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor, Sarwan Singh Pandher, reiterated the demand for a legal guarantee of MSP and assured a ‘peaceful’ approach going ahead.

Tear gas shells were fired by Haryana security personnel after some young farmers were heading towards the multi-layered barricades at the Shambhu border point at Punjab and Haryana. After Haryana Police lobbed tear gas canisters at around 11 a.m., young farmers ran for cover.

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, Coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher says we have decided that no youth, farmer or farm labourers would move right now, only farmer leaders would proceed further as a part of their Delhi Chalo march.

“We will not attack anyone. We are going empty hands. We urge the Centre government in Delhi to take a decision. Of they assure that they will enact a law on MSP, all this situation would be over,” he said.

The Haryana Police asked owners of excavators to withdraw their machines from the protest site, where farmers are set to resume their Delhi Chalo march, else they will be held liable for action.

According to police, these excavators might cause harm to security personnel deployed at the two border points of Punjab and Haryana if protesting farmers used them.

“For owners and operators of Poclains,JCBs: Please do not provide your equipment to the protestors and withdraw them from the protest site if already done, as they may be used to cause harm to security forces. It is a non-bailable offence and you may be held criminally liable,” said police in a post on X.

The Congress reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his pre-2014 promises made to farmers saying he had strongly advocated that MSP be given to them as it was their right and now he is backing out.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also condemned attempts by the authorities to gag the voice of protesting farmers by blocking their social media handles and asked why the government was afraid of farmers, asking whether they were functioning under any kind of external pressure to suppress the farmers. He further condemned the use of force against farmers and said they should be allowed to peacefully protest for their rights.

PTI

The Delhi Police has beefed up security in the national capital and directed its personnel to ensure strict vigil at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders after protesting farmers announced to continue their Delhi Chalo agitation.

Traffic was hit on Delhi-Gurugram, Delhi-Bahadurgarh and several other roads after heavy deployment was made to ensure law and order.

Delhi Police officials said security personnel deployed at the three borders were on Tuesday asked to stay on alert. They said commuters might face traffic congestion. The Delhi Police has already stocked up 30,000 tear gas shells.

PTI

Ahead of their Delhi Chalo march, the protesting farmers at Shambhu village in Punjab on Wednesday said farmers don not intend to create any chaos and induldge in confontration, and government should take a decision infavour of farmers and farm labourers. 

“We have given the call for march to Delhi on November 7. Even after this, if today the government asserts that time hasn’t been enough then I feel that it’s government policy of dilly dallying. The government should take a decision in favour of farmers and farm labourers,” said Jagjit Singh Dallewal, leader of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political).

He said the way barricades have been erected on Haryana-Punjab boundary to stop farmers from going to Delhi is not justified. “We want to go to Delhi peacefully. The government should remove the barricades and allow us to go to Delhi, and give us a place in Delhi to stage our protest. And if the government doesn’t want to do this then it should accept our demands,” he said. 

He added if the Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi extends a hand to resolve the issues, farmers would extend both hands to grab the opportunity.

As the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non political) (SKM-NP) decided to reject the Centre’s proposal to procure five crops on minimum support price (MSP) for five years based on contracts and resume their Dilli Chalo protest from Wednesday, the original Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) welcomed the move and said it is in the direction of greater unity. The SKM (NP) also responded and said differences between the organisations could be resolved through united struggles.

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After the farmers rejected the government proposal over Minimum Support Price (MSP), Union Minister Arjun Munda said that the government always welcome good opinions adding that through conversations a solution will surely come out.

Speaking to ANI, Arjun Munda said, “We want to do good, and several opinions can be given for doing so, as we always welcome good opinions... But to find a way on how that opinion will be fruitful, the only way is conversation. Through conversation, a solution will surely come out.”

He appealed to the farmers and the farmers’ organisations that are connected with the protest to maintain peace.

Amid a standoff between farmers taking part in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation and the Centre over their various demands, Union Minister V.K. Singh alleged that the farmer leaders do not want to find a solution to the problems.

The Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation also said it is not easy for any government to fulfil the demands of the farmer leaders.

“The real thing is that the farmer leaders do not want to find a solution to this problem. If we include the expenditure on subsidies given to farmers in various ways and the expenditure on Pradhan Mantri Swanidhi Yojana, it is 2.4% of the GDP. Whereas the expenditure on the Army is only 1.9% of the GDP,” Mr. Singh, a former army chief, said.

PTI

Haryana Police urged its Punjab counterparts to seize bulldozers and other earthmoving equipment from the interstate border which they say protesters will use to break barricades.

These could pose a threat to the security forces deployed at the border, Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapoor said in an urgent communication to his Punjab counterpart Gaurav Yadav.

Later, in a communication to senior police officers, the Punjab DGP said that no JCBs and other heavy earthmoving equipment should be allowed to reach Khanauri and Shambhu border points as inputs indicate that the protesters plan to break barricades and enter Haryana.

PTI