2 Farmer Groups Walk Out Of Protest Day After Tractor Rally: 10 Points
Farmers' protest violence: Union Home minister Amit Shah had held a high-level meeting where a decision was taken to deploy additional paramilitary forces in Delhi. Punjab and Haryana have been placed under high alert.
New Delhi, January 27, 2021: The rift within the farmers’ groups surfaced as two groups pulled out of the protest against the Centre’s three farm laws today — a day after the unprecedented violence during the Republic Day tractor rally. “We can’t carry forward a protest with someone whose direction is something else,” said VM Singh of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee. A faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union also dissociated itself from the movement. Farmers’ groups have alleged a conspiracy to “torpedo” their peaceful movement. Over 300 police personnel were injured in Tuesday’s violence and 22 cases have been registered, Delhi Police said. The farmers are planning a march to parliament on February 1, when the budget will be presented.
Here are the top 10 updates on farmers’ protest:
“We can’t carry forward a protest with someone whose direction is something else. So, I wish them the best, but VM Singh and the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee are withdrawing from this protest right away,” Mr Singh said.
“I am deeply pained by whatever happened in Delhi yesterday and ending our 58-day protest,” Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh, president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) wa quoted as saying. At Chilla border, where his group’s protest was on, farmers were seen packing up and leaving.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a key pan-India farmers’ group, held a meeting at the Singhu border this afternoon, where they reiterated the “conspiracy” angle and distanced themselves from Tuesday’s violence. “Those who did bad things at Red Fort are not sardars but gaddars (traitors),” a farm leader said.
A section of farm leaders have accused Punjabi actor and activist Deep Sidhu of instigating the clashes and planting a Sikh religious flag at the Red Fort. “Deep Sidhu is the government’s man. We need to understand this conspiracy. How did these people reach Red Fort and why did the police allow them?” a farmer leader said.
The postmortem report of a farmer who died in Delhi yesterday shows that he was not shot, as claimed by some farmers, the Uttar Pradesh Police said today. “He succumbed to the antemortem injuries which he received after his tractor turned turtle as seen in the viral video,” Avinash Chandra, a senior police officer of Bareilly region was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. The farmer had died yesterday near Delhi’s ITO, where violence broke out. CCTV footage of his tractor overturning was widely circulated.
In Haryana, Abhay Singh Chautala, the lone MLA from the Indian National Lok Dal, resigned from the Assembly — two weeks after announcing that he would quit if the Centre did not withdraw its controversial agriculture laws by Republic Day.
The farmers, who received permission to hold the rally at a designated time and route – had deviated from it, triggering clashes with the police. The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee had refused to stick to the route. The farmers broke barriers at the three borders from where the rally was to start – Singhu, Tikri and Ghaziabad.
A group went to the iconic Red Fort, where they entered the Mughal-era structure and raised a religious flag. The police had to use batons to clear the area.
Congress’s Randeep Surjewala said, “The Modi government tried many methods — first holding discussions which were fruitless… (secondly) divide the farmers and finish the movement… declare the farmers and workers as anarchists and throw them out. But this is now unravelling”. “Did Amit Shah not know about the intelligence reports and their desire to go to Red Fort? How can police remain mute spectator,” he added, accusing the Union Home Minister of maligning the movement and demanding his resignation.
Farmers fear the new laws will deprive them of guaranteed minimum earnings and leave them open to exploitation by big business. Eleven rounds of talks have been held between the farmers and the government but there been no breakthrough. The farmers have turned down the Centre’s last offer to put the laws on hold for 18 months while a special committee conducts negotiations.
