Delhi Police urges protesters against mass assembly amid COVID; warns of stringent action

A day ahead of the nationwide strike called out by agitating farmers against the new farm laws, the Delhi Police has urged the protestors to refrain from holding large gatherings in the national capital in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

While addressing a press conference, Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal highlighted that no permission has been granted for mass gathering or demonstrations. He said, "Police personnel have been deployed on all the borders of Delhi. The police is prepared to thwart any illegal activity threatening the law and order under the garb of farmers' protest. Stringent action will be taken against those not adhering to the law."

The agitating farmers have planned a mega protest across the country while thousands of farmers gathering in Delhi on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of farmers' protests against the three agrarian laws. What is more surprising is the call for mass gathering and protests has been supported by over 12 major opposition parties despite the country still grappling with the deadly second wave of COVID-19 pandemic while the threat of the third wave looms large on the country. Opposition parties including the Congress, JD(S), NCP, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, JMM, JKPA, Samajwadi Party, RJD, DMK, CPI, CPI(M) and BSP.

The opposition parties have demanded immediate repeal of the new agrarian laws and legal entitlement to minimum support price (MSP) for crops as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. They said the Central government should "stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines".

Politics over farms laws and farmers protest

The Aam Admi Party (AAP) which runs the Delhi Government has also supported the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha's (SKM) call for mega protest on May 26 despite the state government having knowledge of the severe crisis it faced in containing the situation arising out of the second wave of COVID-19. Thousands of farmers on Monday set off from Karnal in Haryana to Delhi, where they plan to observe a 'Black Day' on Wednesday amid the statewide COVID lockdown.

Congress which had mentioned the implementation of farm reforms in its election manifesto has opposed the farm laws brought by the Centre. Union Ministers have pointed out the fact that Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who has been opposing the farm laws vehemently, was a part of the parliamentary committee which was instrumental in framing the new farm laws before their passage in both houses of parliament. However, witnessing the COVID-19 crisis, CM Amarinder urged the farmers' unions to put an end to the ongoing protest but the farmers have refused to call off the protests.

The Central Government has stayed the implementation of the farm laws for 18 months and urged the protesting farmers to hold clause by clause discussion of farm laws and elaborate on which clause the farmers have problems with. Refusing to hold a clause by clause discussion, the agitating farmers have demanded the repeal of the new farm laws while claiming that the laws threaten the MSP mechanism. The Centre has even assured the farmers that the MSP mechanism will continue even after the implementation of farm laws and the government also procured the farmers produce in record quantities in the following period, however, the adamant protesting farmers have reiterated the demands of repealing of farm laws.