A 'jatha' of 101 farmers started its march to Delhi on Friday. (File)
Chandigarh:
Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Saturday said that they have not received any communication from the Center for talks to address their issues and said a group of 101 farmers will again start their march to Delhi on December 8.
On Friday, protesting farmers suspended their foot march to the national capital for a day after some of them were injured by tear gas shells fired by security personnel who stopped them at the Punjab-Haryana border. The farmers have been pressing for several demands, including a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Addressing the media at Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border, Mr. Pandher on Saturday said that 16 farmers were injured and one of them lost his hearing due to the teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel.
Except four injured farmers, the rest have been discharged from hospital, he said, adding, “We have not received any communication from the Center for holding talks. The (Narendra) Modi government is in no mood for talks to perform.” He further said that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have already decided that a 'jatha' of 101 farmers will once again march peacefully to the national capital on Sunday afternoon.
As part of a call by farmers' unions SKM (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, a 'jatha' of 101 farmers started their march to Delhi from their protest site at the Shambhu border on Friday to press home their demands.
The 'jatha' was stopped by a multi-layered barricade erected by Haryana security personnel. Undeterred by prohibitory orders, the farmers tried to force their way through the barricades but were stopped by security personnel who fired several tear gas shells to force them back to their protest site in Shambhu, which falls in Punjab.
On the action of security personnel against protesting farmers, Mr. Pandher said the BJP government at the Center has been “exposed”.
“What did they do yesterday? People are angry with this action. People are asking the BJP since the farmers did not take tractor trolleys, why they were not allowed to move further,” Mr Pandher alleged.
Another farmer leader, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, continued his fast unto death at the Khanauri border. Farmers claimed that Dallewal lost eight kilos.
Pandher said on Friday that they have appealed to the government to either hold a dialogue with the protesting farmers or “allow us to move to Delhi.” However, Haryana Police had said that the protesting farmers were creating a ruckus and were also trying their level best to destroy police barricades on the Haryana side of the border.
Shortly before the farmers' march, the Haryana government on Friday suspended mobile internet and bulk SMS services in 11 villages of Ambala district till December 9.
The protesting farmers had earlier tried to march towards Delhi on February 13 and 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.
Besides MSP, the farmers are also demanding waiver of corporate debts, pension for farmers and farm workers, no increase in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases (against farmers) and 'justice' for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Reinstatement of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act and compensation for the families of farmers killed during the previous unrest in 2020-2021 are also part of their demands.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
