Delhi Police has given permission for tractor rally on Republic Day, claim farmers

With three days to go for the Republic Day, farmers agitating against the three Agri laws have received the Delhi Police's nod for their planned tractor rally on January 26, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha claimed on Saturday evening. Representatives of the protesting farmers said that the unions and Delhi Police have jointly finalized the routes for the 'Kisan Republic Day Parade'. Previously, the Supreme Court had refrained from passing an order on the tractor rally planned by the farmers and put the onus on Delhi Police to take a decision. 

"The tractor parades will start from the Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri border points of Delhi, but details will be finalised tonight," farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said after attending a meeting between the unions and the police.

After the meeting with the Delhi Police, BKU Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said, "Our people will come by tomorrow. Unions, Delhi Police, Haryana Police, and UP Police are coordinating with each other. 3-4 entry points to Delhi will be there. We will finalize the route. The route will be finalized by tomorrow."

On the other hand, the Delhi Police has said, "When the protesting farmers would give us in writing about the route of the proposed tractor rally on January 26, we will analyse it and take a decision."

According to Samyukta Kisan Morcha, around 1000 farmers from Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh joined the Delhi morcha via this march whereas 500 peasants associated with the Gujarat Khedut Manch will reach Shahjahanpur tomorrow. The protesting farmers have planned to take out a massive tractor rally as a part of their intensified protests against the three Agri laws on January 26. This comes a day after the 11th round of discussions between the farmers and Centre ended inconclusively. 

READ | 11th Farmers-Centre Meet Ends Inconclusively, No Date Fixed For Next Round Of Talks

11th Farmers-Centre meet ends inconclusively

Farmers' unions and the Centre failed to reach a middle ground on Friday as the 11th round of discussion ended inconclusively. While the meeting on Friday lasted for nearly five hours, farmers representatives have said that discussions were held for less than 30 minutes. No date has been fixed for the next round of meeting.

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Moreover, sources have informed that during the meeting on Wednesday, the Union Government expressed that it has provided unions with all possible options. Centre also expressed that the farmers' unions must deliberate internally and reach a conclusion before intimating the government of their decision for the next round of discussion. The development comes a day after the agitating unions rejected the government's proposal to hold off the three farm laws for 1.5 years and ensure a clause-wise discussion by an inclusive committee. 

Maintaining that there was no problem in the three agrarian laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated that the Centre had offered to suspend them as a token of respect for farmers. Lamenting the breakdown in the talks, Tomar also alleged that some external forces did not want the farmers' stir to end. Previously, the Centre had agreed not to penalise farmers for stubble burning and to continue the present mechanism of giving subsided electricity for agricultural use.

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Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar remarked, "The talks between the Centre and the farm unions has been going on since October 14. These talks have taken place for 45 hours. 11 round of talks have taken place apart from one round of talks with officials. The Indian government under the leadership of PM Modi remains committed to enhancing the welfare of farmers and the poor." 

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