Chandigarh: Farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march is set to resume on Wednesday. Farmers from various states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh etc. are expected to take part in the protests. They want to put pressure on the central government to accept various demands, including a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, and no hike in electricity tariffs.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police has increased security preparedness at the Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders in view of the protests. Farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal on March 3 gave a call to farmers across the nation to reach Delhi on Wednesday for a protest.
The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their “Delhi Chalo” march was stopped by security forces. Protesting farmers have also called for a four-hour countrywide rail roko on March 10 to press their demands. The ‘rail roko’ protest will be held in the country from 12 pm to 4 pm to put pressure on the government to meet the farmers’ demands, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said.
The farmers have been camping at multiple points in areas bordering the national capital since February 13. Multiple rounds of negotiations between farmer leaders and the central government have failed to resolve the situation.
In the latest round of talks on February 18, a panel of three Union ministers had made an offer to buy five crops – moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize, and cotton – from farmers at MSP for five years through central agencies. However, the protesting farmers turned down the offer and resumed protests.
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