Farmers groups picketed toll plazas in 165 locations across the country, allowing toll free movement of vehicles on major national highways on Saturday, as part of their ongoing protests demanding the repeal of three contentious agricultural marketing laws . By evening, a small group of farmers from Rajasthan had moved to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway at Rewari in Haryana , while thousands more gathered on the Rajasthan side of the border to begin a march to Delhi on Sunday morning.
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This is the 17th straight day of protest on the highways surrounding the national capital , with tens of thousands of farmers under the joint banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha already having blocked four major crossing points on Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Since talks broke down earlier this week, with farmers rejecting the Centre’s proposal to amend some provisions in the laws, the Morcha has vowed to step up the agitation.
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“We will go for talks if the government calls us, but the focus is on these three laws. Until these laws are repealed, we will not begin discussing other issues,” said Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, president of the Kisan Sangharsh committee, during a press conference at the Singhu border point. He added that farm union leaders would also sit on a day-long hunger strike on Monday.
Across States, protests were held at about 165 out of 450 toll booths, according to estimates provided by the All India Kisan Sabha.
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In Punjab, all toll plazas have been free since October after the new laws were passed. In Haryana, farmers staged sit-in dharnas, shouting anti-BJP slogans, at toll plazas in 20 locations. They also picketed petrol pumps and malls run by the Reliance group, which farmers see as an example of the large corporates set to benefit from these laws.
“Farmers staged ‘dharna’ at almost all the toll plazas in Haryana. Group of farmers gathered at toll-plazas since morning on Ambala-Hisar highway. Besides, we were picketing at toll plazas in Hisar district, situated on roads leading to Delhi, Rajgarh, Sirsa and Chandigarh. Also, at Karnal-Jind highway group of farmers staged protest,” Rattan Mann, president of the Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (Tikait) told The Hindu . “At most of the toll plazas on the Chandigarh-Delhi highway, Milk-Majra toll plaza on Panchkula-Saharanpur highway and Gullarpur toll plaza on Assandh-Karnal highway, we ensured that no charges were collected from commuters,” he added.
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Farmers in western Uttar Pradesh picketed toll plaza intermittently through the day. In Gautam Buddh Nagar, the Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan picketed the Luharli Toll Plaza and Eastern Peripheral Expressway and made them free for some time. “It was a symbolic way to show the strength of farmers. If the government doesn’t wake up, we will surround representatives of the ruling party on Sunday.”
In a protest at Noida’s Chilla border, farmers sought support by stopping vehicles and offering commuters small packets of pulses and rice.
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In Odisha, farmers prevented collection of toll at multiple points on the Howrah-Chennai and Bhubaneswar-Puri national highways, including at Bhubaneswar, Ganjam and Cuttack.
There were protests at 31 locations in Andhra Pradesh; while 25 toll booths were opened, police prevented opening in six locations, arresting protestors. Farmers stopped toll collection in 18 centres in Telangana. Protests were also held at toll plazas in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Bihar, according to the AIKS.
Farmer leaders pointed to the widespread participation in the toll plaza protests to refute Food Minister Piyush Goyal’s statement that the agitation no longer remains a farmers’ movement.
Speaking at the annual meeting of industry body FICCI, Mr Goyal said, the movement has been “infiltrated by Leftist and Maoist elements” demanding the release of those put behind bars for “anti-national activities”.
Late on Saturday evening, around 50 farmers led by Nagaur Lok Sabha MP Hanuman Beniwal and farmers’ leader Rampal Jat staged a sit-in on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway at Rewari, blocking the road. The Rewari police said efforts were being made to lift the blockade and restore traffic.
Thousands of farmers are gathering at Kotputli and Behror on the Rajasthan side of the border and plan to cross over into Haryana around 11 a.m. on Sunday as part of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ campaign, aiming to seal one more entry into the capital. Rewari police said they would attempt to stop the march. Gurugram police have also deployed 2,000 police personnel at various points along their route.
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Meanwhile, thousands of farmers and farm workers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Samiti, who are on their way from Punjab to Delhi, started to move towards the national capital on Saturday after a night halt in Haryana’s Shahbad.
“We are on our way to Kundli on tractor-trolleys, cars, vans and will reach by today night. Over 2000 vehicles are participating in our march,” Sarvan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Punjab unit of the Samiti, told The Hindu .
To ensure law and order situation a large number of police personnel were deployed at several places and prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC was imposed.
Punjab Minister Vijay Inder Singla said commission agents ( arhtiyas ) were the farmers’ support system in times of distress and happiness and also act as the backbone of the agriculture marketing sector in Punjab.
“Whether it is the matter of sale of crops or financing needs for procurement of fertilisers, pesticides or short-term loans for marriage and household needs, it is the arhtiya who comes forward to support farmers. They do act as a commission agent but it is a symbiotic and fruitful relationship... arhtiyas are an essential part of the farming community and BJP government instead of understanding their relationship is projecting it in a negative way,” he said.
(with inputs from Ashok Kumar in Gurugram, Vikas Vasudeva in Chandigarh, Priscilla Jebaraj and Anuj Kumar in New Delhi)
