No Repeat Of R-Day Like Showdown On Saturday As Nationwide Farmers' Chakka Jam Will Skip Delhi
After the unprecedented chaos and violence that unfolded in the national capital on January 26, both the farmers' unions and the law enforcement are making sure that there is no repeat of such incidents.
On Saturday, the protesting farmers will be holding a 'Chakka Jam' across the country.?But unlike the last time, Delhi has been exempted from the showdown.
No blockade in Delhi
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, leading the stir in Ghazipur since November with his supporters, said the blockade will not be done in Delhi but will take place in other parts of the National Capital Region, which comprises parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, and the rest of country including the southern states.
¡°Dilli mein hum nahi kar rahe, wahan to raja ne khud qile-bandi kar li hai humare jaam karne ki zaroorat hi nahi hai (We are not going to do anything in Delhi, the king there has already fortified it, there is no need for us to do a blockade now),¡± he said on Friday.
¡°There will be a three-hour blockade on roads. It won't happen in Delhi but other parts of the country. The vehicles which will come and stop will be given water and food. Items like 'chana' and peanuts will also be distributed to these people and we will apprise them of what the government is doing with us,¡± he said.
When asked to comment on nails fixed near barricades at the Ghazipur border (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border), Tikait said, "We were growing crops there and they (government) fixed nails."
Delhi Police not taking any chances
However, the Delhi Police, which, the last time found itself heavily underprepared for the tractor march on Republic Day is not taking any chances.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday had a meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava, ahead of the chakka jam.
The Delhi Police has tightened security at the borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at the Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh demanding a rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.
