Delhi Chalo: Police fire tear gas as farmers break barricades

Following unsuccessful talks with the BJP government at the center, thousands of farmers are marching towards the national capital for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest. Despite discussions initiated by Union Ministers in an attempt to address their concerns, farmers expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the government showed no intention of resolving their issues and that most of their demands from the previous protest were unmet.

At the Shambhu border, protesting farmers initiated the removal of barricades. In response, the Haryana police employed tear gas rounds to disperse the crowd. Prior to this incident, several farmers had been detained, and their vehicles seized at the border by the Haryana police shortly after farmers’ unions commenced the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march amidst heightened security.

The ‘Chalo Delhi’ march was initiated by farmers, predominantly from Punjab, along with their counterparts from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, after an inconclusive meeting with the Union government. Prior to the Delhi Chalo march, leaders from these states engaged in a second round of discussions with central ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda, lasting five hours, as a last-ditch effort by the government to prevent the impending protest and gridlock in Delhi NCR.

Union Agriculture Minister Munda announced that a consensus was reached on most issues concerning the farmers during the meeting. However, the farmers insisted on proceeding with the march on Tuesday, leading to the closure of numerous state borders around Delhi.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha will lead Tuesday’s march, pressing the Centre to meet their demands, including the enactment of a law ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The central issue fueling the farmers’ protest is the demand for a legal guarantee of MSP. Additionally, the farmers are pushing for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations and the waiver of farm debts.

Notably, Rakesh Tikait, a prominent figure from the previous protest, is absent from this demonstration due to disagreements between different farmers’ groups.