Farmers Take The Protest To Parliament: Here's Everything That Has Happened So Far
A group of 200 farmers reached Jantar Mantar in central Delhi on Thursday to protest against the Centre's three controversial farm laws as the Monsoon session of Parliament was underway.
Police threw a ring of security around central Delhi and kept a tight vigil on the movement of vehicles.The Delhi government and police on Wednesday agreed to allow farmers to hold the Kisan Sansad at Jantar Mantar from today till August 9 between 11 am and 5 pm.
Paid respects to farmers who died
The protesters have been asked to give an undertaking that all Covid norms would be followed and the protest would be peaceful, PTI reported.?Farmers also paid respects to the 500 farmers who have lost their lives during the prolonged agitation at the Delhi borders.
This is the first time since the violence in the national capital during a tractor rally on January 26 that the authorities have given permission to protesting farmer unions to hold a protest in the city.
Security beefed up
Meanwhile, high security has been deployed at Jantar Mantar and nearby areas to avert Jan 26-like chaos, claims police.?Parvinder Singh, DCP, Outer District, said, ¡°We have placed preventive arrangements to avoid the entry of any miscreant at the Tikri border. The arrangement has been put in place as the farmers haven't received permission to hold protest here.¡±
"Parliament is just 150 metres away from Jantar Mantar. We will hold our own Parliament sessions there. What do we have to do with hooliganism? Are we miscreants," asks BKU Leader Rakesh Tikait on being asked about arrangements to tackle situations like Jan 26 Red Fort violence.
Agri minister defiant
However, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar maintained that farm laws are beneficial. "The country has witnessed that these farm laws are beneficial and are in favour of the farmers. We have had discussions about these laws. If they express their issues with the laws point-wise, we can discuss it,¡± he said.?
Thousands of farmers from across the country have been agitating at three Delhi border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- against the three farm laws that they claim will do away with the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.
Over 10 rounds of talks with the government, which has been projecting the laws at major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between the two sides.
