Farmers firm on demand, say adverse weather won't affect protest

Braving all odds, agitating farmers are firm on their demand to revoke the contentious farm laws. They reiterated their position that the government would have to take the laws back and only then they would go back to their respective places.

New Delhi:Thousands of farmers, who have been agitating against the newly formed three farm laws for the past 20 days at various border points of the national capital, have refused to budge from their stated position - revoke the laws - even if the temperatures have gone considerably down, making it really difficult for the protestors to stay in the open.

The agitating farmers, who have gathered at the Singhu border point here and are mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western parts of Uttar Pradesh, have held several rounds of talks with the central government over the issue but the stalemate continues, with the government saying no to take back the controversial laws.

The farmers, including the aged ones, have refused to leave the national highway which connects the national capital to Haryana and Punjab.

They reiterated their position that the government would have to take the laws back and only then they would go back to their respective places.

"We will not move from here unless and until the government accepts our demand and take back the laws that are not in the interest of the farmers," they told ETV Bharat, adding that no degree of cold or any adverse weather condition could force them to leave the road.

The ETV Bharat found out that all necessary arrangements are being made to make life comfortable of the protesting farmers in the cold weather conditions but they are still exposed to several life-threatening situations, especially when they have a number of old people of 70 to 80 years of age also protesting in the crowd.

The agitating farmers spend nights either in their tractor-trollies or tents and are of the view that no adverse condition could force them to leave the site before the government accepts their demand of scrapping the laws, which they term as "anti-farmers".

Huge open-air kitchens are working almost round the clock to feed the protestors.

Meanwhile, the Narendra Modi government has said the on-going agitation of farmers has been hijacked by the anti-national elements.