Ahead of talks with govt, protesting farmers to carry out tractor march today

Farmers have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding repeal of the laws, and a legal guarantee on minimum support prices for their crops, among other issues

Thousands of farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders demanding repeal of three contentious farm laws will carry out a tractor march on Thursday, converging on the eastern and western peripheral expressways that form a ring around Delhi.

Protesting farmers on a tractor at Delhi’s border with UP on Wednesday.

However, they will not enter Delhi, farm leaders said on Wednesday.

“This will be a dress rehearsal for the tractor parade by farmers on Republic Day in the national capital,” said Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India who is among the coordinators of the protest.

Farmers, primarily from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding repeal of the laws, and a legal guarantee on minimum support prices for their crops, among other issues.The farmers announced last week that if their demands were not met, they will march in their tractors at Rajpath on Republic Day, where India’s annual military parade and cultural programme is held on January 26.

Kulwant Singh Sandhu, general secretary of Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, said hundreds of tractors will march on Thursday from Singhu and Tikri borders to the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal or Western Expressway. “Hundreds of tractors from both the protest points will leave around 11am and drive towards KMP Expressway. From there, we will return to our camps,” said Sandhu.

Joginder Singh Nain, a farm leader from Haryana, said:“Women drivers will lead a part of the rally representing the Haryana contingent.”

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait said the tractor march will not enter Delhi, and culminate at the respective borders after travelling up to Dasna and Palwal. “It will be a peaceful tractor march. The farmers protesting at Ghazipur-Ghaziabad (UP Gate) border will march towards Bulandshahr via Dasna on their tractors. The other groups of farmers coming from the different borders of Delhi will meet near Bulandshahr, where we will have ‘langar’. From there, the other group would move towards Palwal while we will return to UP Gate border by evening,” said Tikait.

Unlike the other BKU groups, the farmers associated with BKU’s Bhanu group that has been protesting at the Chilla (Delhi-Noida link road) border will carry out a tractor march from Mahamaya flyover up to Chilla border.

“Our tractor march will be of nearly two kilometres. We will stop at the Chilla border,” said BC Pradhan, spokesperson for BKU’s Bhanu group.

Shalini Singh, joint commissioner of police (western range), said that since the march is not scheduled to enter Delhi, the police arrangement would remain like before. But traffic on the outskirts is likely to be affected.

Police in Gautam Buddh Nagar said they will enforce diversions on the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal or Eastern Peripheral Expressway. “In view of this, vehicles will not be allowed to get on the eastern peripheral expressway from Beel Akbarpur and Sirsa cut towards Palwal from 12pm to 3pm. Similarly, vehicles won’t be allowed on the expressway from Sirsa cut and Beel Akbarpur towards Sonipat from 2pm to 5pm and will be diverted,” police said in a statement.

GB Nagar’s police commissioner Alok Singh on Wednesday inspected the situation along the expressway. Singh, along with additional CP (law and order) Love Kumar and DCP, Greater Noida, Rajesh Kumar Singh, visited the Beel Akbarpur toll, Sirsa toll and Palwal border area.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials also said the tractor march will affect traffic on both eastern and western peripheral expressways.

“Tractors are not allowed on EPE and there will be traffic disruption if they carry out a march. We will speak to the district officials about the issue. Already, the farmers have made two major tolls at Palwal and Sonipat free and it is affecting our revenue. It is estimated that the tolls fetch us about Rs 90 lakh per day, but we are collecting only about Rs 25 lakh per day since December 25,” said Mudit Garg, project director of NHAI.

Sanjay Madhav, member of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and the state convener of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee in Rajasthan, said farmers from several Rajasthan districts will march on their tractors up to the Shahjahanpur protest site on Thursday. “A group of farmers from Maharashtra joined our agitation today. Tractors from other protest sites on the Delhi border will start their march in the morning, and we will have a huge cavalcade of farmers on the KMP stretch tomorrow,” said Madhav.

Deepak Lamba, member of Jai Kisan Andalon which is a part of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, said that the march would start at 11am on Thursday and continue through the day. “One batch of tractors will start from Singhu border and one from Tikri border. They will converge at KMP before returning back to their respective protest sites. Other segments of tractors from Palwal, Ghazipur and Mewat will also come together on the KMP stretch,” said Lamba.

Rampal Jat, president of the Kisan Mahapanchayat, which is protesting at the Haryana-Rajasthan border, said that around 100 tractors from Palwal will join the rally. “Tractors from different regions will join the march tomorrow. Due to rain, our tents at the border have been uprooted or flooded, but we will participate in the rally as much as possible. Around 100 tractors from here will join the march from Palwal,” he said.