New Delhi: Police lobbed multiple rounds of teargas shells to disperse farmers who were approaching the police barricade at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border to resume the 'Dilli Chalo' protest on Wednesday.
Protesting farmers continued their protest on the second day after over 60 people were injured on Tuesday. A team of three Union ministers will hold a meeting again with the farmer leaders over their various demands on Thursday evening here, said farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. The Centre invited the farmer leaders for holding third round of talks in a week after two such meetings organised on February 8 and 12 remained inconclusive.
The offer for talks came when protesting farmers were staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana to march towards Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a law on minimum support price for crops and loan waivers. The farmer leaders said they will not make any fresh attempt to move towards Delhi till the meeting is held, asserting that the next course of action will be decided on the basis of the Centre's proposals.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation to put pressure on the Centre for their demands.
Read the detailed copy here: Farmers Protest 2.0: Why Are The 'Annadatas' Back On Streets? - In 10 Points
Here are the updates from the farmer's 'Delhi Chalo' protest on Wednesday:
- 10.00 PM
A few young farmers, part of the 'Delhi Chalo' march, on Wednesday, took to flying kites hoping to bring down a drone deployed by the Haryana security personnel to drop tear gas shells on protesters at the Shambhu border near Ambala. The protesters were angry over the use of the unmanned aerial vehicle for dropping tear gas canisters, which left many of them injured. - 7.53 PM
The CBSE issued an advisory on Wednesday for the students appearing in the board exams in view of the traffic restrictions imposed in Delhi, advising them to leave their homes early to arrive at the examination centres in time. Traffic restrictions are currently in place in the New Delhi in view of the farmers' "Delhi Chalo" march. The board exams for Classes 10 and 12 will commence from Thursday. More than 39 lakh students will appear in the exams this year from India and 26 other countries. In Delhi, over 5.8 lakh students will take the exams at 877 centres. - 7.50 PM
Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said meeting between farmer leaders and Union ministers will be held on Thursday evening in Chandigarh. - 6.34 PM
The ministers' meeting with farmer leaders will be held through video conferencing. Earlier, the three ministers had two rounds of meeting in Chandigarh with the farmer groups' leaders but the discussions remained inconclusive and the farmers began their protests on Tuesday. A key demand of the farmers is guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for various crops. - 6.00 PM
In a key development from the government's end in the ongoing farmer agitation, Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai are set to hold a meeting with leaders of farmer groups on Thursday evening, PTI reported quoting sources. - 5.50 PM
Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Arjun Munda, on Wednesday held discussions on the ongoing farmers' protests and ways to address the issues, PTI reported quoting sources. Defence Minister Singh, also a former agriculture minister, deliberated upon various farmer issues with Munda, who is currently in charge of the agriculture ministry. Munda is also one of the ministers who held discussions with farmer groups, - 5.39 PM
More than two years after a massive agitation by farmers resulted in heavy losses for them, traders and shopkeepers at Delhi's Singhu border are again looking at tough times with a fresh round of protests threatening their businesses. Though the march is currently contained at the Punjab-Haryana border, the fortifications of multiple layers of barricades and concrete blocks at Singhu, along with a huge deployment of police personnel, to stop them from entering the city have also restricted the cross-border movement of people. - 5.30 PM
The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) announced that farmers would squat on rail tracks at seven places in Punjab on Thursday in protest against the Haryana Police action against protesting farmers at the borders. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said their agitation will be held from 12 noon to 4 pm. - 5.28 PM
The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) on Wednesday said it does not support the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march as it was "political" and does not seem to be serving the farmers' interest. In a statement, BKS general secretary Mohini Mohan Mishra said farmers should get the remunerative price for their produce based on the cost but "political manoeuvres" in the name of farmers with an eye on the elections should be stopped. - 5.27 PM
Congress national general secretary Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said that farmers have once again started protesting due to the stubbornness of the Central government, which has been unable to solve their issues. He said farmers are not getting reasonable prices for their crops and the Congress party will provide a legal guarantee for minimum support price if its INDIA bloc came to power after the Lok Sabha elections. - 5.23 PM
Several agriculture experts on Wednesday emphasized on the needs to bring further reforms in the agriculture sector, especially for the welfare of the farmers in the country. - 3.58 PM
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence from the country at a time when farmers are protesting. "Is it proper for the Prime Minister to be absent from the country when not only a General Election is imminent but a serious uprising near New Delhi of Punjab farmers could become violent and be a blow up. Modi must understand a PM’s priorities and not be galavanting now (sic)," Swamy said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. - 3.28 PM
Police used tear gas to disperse protesting farmers at the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu Border on Wednesday. The farmers have announced to continue to march towards Delhi. Notably, farmers are protesting over their demands which include 'MSP guarantee law' and debt waiver. - 2.10 PM
Hitting out at the Centre over the farmers' protests, the Congress on Wednesday asked why it is "running away" from giving legal guarantee on MSP despite repeated promises and claimed the farmers have "lost faith" in the Modi government. In a post in Hindi on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "In many of his speeches and election rallies during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, Modi had promised that all crops would be purchased at MSP, which would cover all costs and 50 per cent margin as per the Swaminathan Committee formula. But till date, there is neither legal guarantee of MSP nor is it based on the Swaminathan formula of C2+50%." - 2.01 PM
Scores of farmers from Punjab continued to stay put at the two borders of the state and Haryana on Wednesday while security personnel fired some tear gas shells on the protesters at the Shambhu border near Ambala. As the peasants gather there to resume their 'Delhi Chalo' protest, farmer leaders will first hold a meeting before moving ahead with their plan to break multi-layered barricades at the Shambhu border in an attempt to march towards Delhi. - 1.44 PM
On the farmers' march, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij says "The report on MSP came in 2004 when Congress was in power. Why didn't they do anything in 10 years?... The farmers want to go to Delhi and have a conversation with representatives of the Govt but when they came to Chandigarh, the farmer leaders refused to talk to them. I am surprised that the Punjab Govt has released a notice asking us not to send drones to our border.... When farmers started moving from Amritsar, they did not even try to stop them. This clearly means that they want the farmers to create terror in Delhi. Stone pelting is going on and one of our DSP & 25 other police officers are injured in this. - 1.35 PM
Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher on Wednesday requested the government to stop using tear gas and other forces against the protesting farmers and create a cordial atmosphere.He alleged that the police used self-loading rifle (SLR) with plastic and rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the farmers who were marching to the national capital on Tuesday. - 1.22 PM
On security arrangements amid farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' protest, Jhajjar SP Arpit Jain says, "There is peace so far in our district. However, we have placed barricades as a preventive measure... If someone doesn't follow law & order, legal actions will be taken... Pedestrians have been given space... I urge everyone to maintain peace and harmony. - 1.08 PM
On the farmers' march, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "The govt is working on the farmers' issues with sensitivity. Most of their demands have been accepted...Technically, since the Lok Sabha session has ended, the demand for a law is strange. The govt cannot form laws now." - 1.01 PM
Union Minister Arjun Munda who is also negotiating with farmer leaders speaks on Farmers' protest said, "I would like to urge all the leaders from different farmers' organizations to cooperate and communicate so that the common people shouldn't have to suffer, govt is determined in this regard. We have assured them that all the works of administrative nature will be fast-tracked. But in the formulation of new laws, there are so many things to consider. In the coming days, we want to discuss with the farmers' organizations and to look for any possible solutions." - 11.23 AM
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday spoke over the phone with a farmer who was injured during police action at the Shambhu border near Ambala on Tuesday. - 11.20 AM
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher addresses a press conference at Shambhu border. Talking to the media he said that they are collecting the data of the people injured in the clashes with security personnel in different borders on Tuesday. "Several farmers have received grievous injuries in the clashes," he said. "There is an attempt to make a perception about us. We have not come here for confrontation with the government," he added. - 11.05 AM
Traffic was affected in the border areas of Delhi on Wednesday as police erected several layers of barricades and stopped the movement of vehicles at the Singhu and Tikri borders in view of farmers' proposed march to Delhi. - 10.30 AM
BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday said the Centre should initiate talks with protesting farmers instead of taking action against them. Her remarks come as protesting farmers from Punjab make an attempt to march to Delhi to press for various demands. She said the government should take seriously the demands of the hardworking farmers who have made India self-reliant in food production. - 10.05 AM
On farmers' protest, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, "I would like to say that the Modi Government has taken several steps in the last 10 years to encourage the agriculture sector and for the welfare of farmers. When they posed their demands, the government sent its senior leaders and continued the dialogue...What is the reason that new demands are being added to the demands?...If new demands are being added, more time is also required. States need time to hold discussions. We are ready to continue the discussions. Most of their demands have been accepted but the new demands require more time. I urge the agitators to not indulge in vandalism, arson or violence. I request farmer leaders to come and have discussions." - 9.45 AM
Long traffic jams at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border were seen on Wednesday due to the farmers' protest and security checks put in place by the authorities. Rapid Action Force personnel, Police personnel and Riot Control Vehicles are deployed at the Singhu Border in Delhi in view of the farmers' protest. - 9.22 AM
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) condemned the Central Government for resorting to what it termed was the excessive use of state power and mass arrests to prevent the Delhi Chalo March of farmers organisations on Tuesday. - 8.59 AM
Security personnel fired some tear gas shells on farmers at around 8 am on Wednesday morning at the Shambhu border near Ambala as the peasants gathered there to resume their 'Dilli Chalo' protest, the agitators claimed. The protesting farmers from Punjab plan to make a fresh attempt to break past the multiple layers of barricades at the border with Haryana in attempt to march to Delhi to press for various demands. Read More - 8.45 AM
Security checks underway at Shambhu border in Ambala, Haryana on second day of farmers' protest. Roads are being dug up at a village near Singhu border as farmers prepare to continue their 'Delhi Chalo' march. - 8.38 AM
Jhajjar, Haryana: DSP Anil Kumar says, "Currently, the atmosphere is peaceful. Traffic has been diverted. The movement of the pedestrians is normal..." - 7.20 AM
Arrangements have been intensified ahead of the day two of the farmers protest as more concrete is being poured between the concrete slabs at the Tikri Border to make the border stronger. - 7.10 AM
Amid the confrontation between the police and farmers at several borders adjoining Punjab and Haryana following farmers march to the national capital, the members of the Confederation of Bahadurgarh Industries (COBI)-District Jhajjhar in Haryana urged farmers not to hold their protest in the industrial hub of Bahadurgarh. - 6.55 AM
Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former education minister of Punjab, Daljit Singh Cheema, on Tuesday rendered support to farmers who have embarked on the 'Delhi Chalo' protest. - 6.38 AM
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) strongly condemned the central government for employing excessive state power, including lathi charges, rubber bullets, tear gas shelling, and mass arrests, to thwart the Delhi Chalo March organized by farmer organizations on Tuesday. - 6.35 AM
The Haryana government on Tuesday extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts by two days till February 15 in view of the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' agitation. These districts are Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa, the government said in an order. Read More - 6.25 AM
The Congress slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre stating that the "dictatorial Modi government" is hell-bent on curbing the voice of farmers! - 6.15 AM
Members of the Confederation of Bahadurgarh Industries, District Jhajjhar on Tuesday urged farmers not to hold their protest in industrial hub to ensure minimum impact on their business. - 6.05 AM
A day after halting their protest, the farmers are set to continue the demonstrations on the second day on Wednesday.
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