The farmers began their march from Punjab on Tuesday amid stringent pre-emptive measures to not allow the farmers to cross any state border -- be it Punjab to Haryana or Haryana to Delhi. Concrete slabs and barbed wires have been placed on borders, nails have been laid on the roads to stop the protesters at any cost. The Delhi government, meanwhile, rejected the Centre's request to convert Bawana stadium into a makeshift jail in case the farmers come inside Delhi. AAP minister Kailash Gahlot said the demands of the farmers are genuine and every citizen is entitled to make a peaceful protest. The Haryana police started firing tear gas shells at the protesters as they reached the Shambhu border two hours after their march started.
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Protest now depends on Haryana, says farmer leader
Faced with resistance at the Shambhu border, the border between Punjab and Haryana, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher said it is now the turn of the Haryana farmers to take the protest forward. In a video message, Pandher said the protesters do not want any clash with the authorities
‘We are not blocking roads, say farmers’
As the farmers started their Chalo Delhi march at 10am, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said the borders between Punjab and Haryana do not look like a state border but international borders. "Even today we are not saying that we will block roads. The government itself has blocked roads for the past two-three days," Pandher, who is the general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, said.
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'Haryana has been turned into Kashmir'
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'Haryana has been turned into Kashmir'
{{/usCountry}}Slamming the fortification of Haryana, the farmer leader said Haryana has become Kashmir valley.
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‘Congress not with us’
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha said this Delhi march is not backed by the Congress. "Congress party does not support us, we consider Congress equally responsible as much as the BJP. These laws were brought by Congress itself. We are not in favour of anyone, we raise the voice of farmers....We are not left, CPI, and CPM who ruled Bengal, made 20 mistakes, what kind of revolution came from there in West Bengal, we are not on anyone's side, we are farmers and labourers. We will appeal to our people, whether they are singers of Punjab or the country or intellectuals, NRI brothers, whether it is another civil society that also includes journalists, this is not just our issue. In this big movement, it is not just us, this is the demand of 140 crore countrymen," Pandher said.
Delhi stands with farmers
"The Central Government, infact, should invite them over for talks and try to find a solution of their genuine problems. Farmers of the country are our annadata and treating them in this way by arresting them would be like rubbing salt into their wounds," the Delhi government wrote to Centre declining to concern Bawana Stadium into jail.
Punjab Police not stopping protesters
As the AAP government in Delhi showed solidarity with the protesting farmers, Punjab police did not stop the protesters either.
'Barbed wire, teargas': Kharge attacks Modi govt
"Barbed wire, teargas from drones, nails and guns... everything is arranged. The dictatorial Modi government is trying to curb the voice of farmers. Remember how the farmer was defamed by calling him 'andolanjeevi' and 'parasite' and 750 farmers lost their lives," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said.