DM Monitoring
NEW DELHI: Farmer unions protesting against the Centre’s agri laws said on Sunday that they will go ahead with their proposed tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day.
Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, “We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful. There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors.”
The authorities had moved the Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of Republic Day on January 26. The matter is pending in court.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said farmers were prepared to protest against Centre’s new farm laws “till May 2024”, terms ongoing agitation by peasants at Delhi borders an “ideological revolution” Hundreds of farmers on Sunday staged a rally in support of the revocation of the new agriculture laws even as police briefly detained the main organiser along with nearly half a dozen of his supporters here.
The tractor rally was led by District Development Council (DDC) member Taranjit Singh Tony who defeated senior BJP leader and former minister Sham Choudhary in the recently held elections, officials said.
Ahead of the tenth round of talks scheduled on January 19, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday again urged the protesting farm leaders to give up their “stubborn” stand on the new farm laws and come for a clause by clause discussion.
“Now that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws, then there is no question of being stubborn,” Tomar told reporters before leaving for his home constituency of Morena in Madhya Pradesh. The government wants farmer leaders to come for clause by clause discussion at the next meeting on January 19. Except for the demand of repealing the laws, the government is ready to consider “seriously and with an open heart” other alternatives, he said. Indian media reported that Punjab farmers have left from Ludhiana for Delhi to participate in a tractor parade on Republic Day as a mark of protest against the farm laws.
“We are leaving for Delhi with our tractors and will continue to do so till January 24. Around 11 thousand tractors will be making a move to Delhi from Ludhiana itself. In total, one lakh tractors will participate in the Republic Day tractor parade from Ludhiana, Amritsar, Faridkot, and Bhatinda districts,” said a farmer.
