Farmer intensify stir against farm laws, to go on hunger strike on Dec 14
NEW DELHI : The farmers’ leaders have announced that they will go on hunger strike at Delhi’s Singhu border on December 14.
Farmer leaders on Saturday announced that they will intensify their agitation against the central farm laws and that all their union leaders will sit on a hunger strike on December 14. The announcement comes at a time when farmers’ agitation enters the 17th day, with no end in sight to the deadlock between farmers and the government.
He also announced that thousands of farmers will start their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march from Rajasthan’s Shahjahanpur through the Jaipur-Delhi Highway at 11am on Sunday. Pannu said that farmers from other parts of the country are also on their way to join the protesters here and they will take the agitation to the next level in the coming days.
“Centre wants to thwart our movement, but we will not allow this,” he added. Demanding the complete withdrawal of the three farm laws, farmer leader Kamal Preet Singh Pannu told reporters at Singhu border, “If the government wants to hold talks, we are ready, but our main demand will remain the scrapping of the three laws. We will move onto our other demands only after that.”
“On December 14, all farmer leaders will sit on a fast sharing same stage at Singhu border. We want government to take back three farm bills, we’re not in favour of amendments,” Pannu said.
The protests which are being held to repeal Centre’s farm laws, have been ongoing for 17 days now. Huge crowds of farmers have blocked all highways leading upto Delhi. Since the talks with the government has ended in a deadlock, the farmers are threatening to further intensify their agitation.
The farmers are demanding a complete withdrawal of the three laws, “On December 14, all farmer leaders will sit on a fast sharing same stage at Singhu border. We want government to take back three Farm bills, we’re not in favour of amendments,” said Kamal Preet Singh Pannu, leader of Sanyukta Kisan Andolan was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Centre wants to thwart our movement, but we will not allow this” Pannu also said as farmers vowed to keep protest against agriculture laws “peaceful”. The farmers also announced a tractor march for Sunday, December 13 which will begin at 11am from Rajasthan’s Shahjahanpur and they will block Jaipur-Delhi main road.
While, the government asked the protesting farmers to be vigilant claiming some ‘antisocial’ as well as ‘Leftist and Maoist’ elements were conspiring to spoil the atmosphere of their agitation.
In response, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait clarified that no anti-national element is roaming along with farmers and has asked the central intelligence agencies to grill such kind of people if they found any.
“Central intelligence should catch them. If people of a banned organisation are roaming amid us, put them behind bars. We have not found any such person here, if we do we will send them away,” the leader said.
The farmers also insisted that they are ready for talks. “If the government wants to hold talks, we are ready. But we will first discuss the repeal of the three legislation,” the farmers said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police increased deployment of personnel and placed more concrete barriers at various border points as farmers have announced that they will intensify their protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, with plans to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway and the Yumuna Expressway.
(With Agency Inputs).
