Ryots plan nationwide road blockade on Feb 6
NEW DELHI: Farmer unions on Monday announced a countrywide ‘chakka jam’ on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.
Union leaders told a press conference at the Singhu Border here that they will block the roads between 1 pm to 3 pm on February 6. They also alleged that farmers have been “ignored” in the Union Budget 2021-22, and water and power supply have been curtailed at their protest venues.
The Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of protesting unions, also alleged that the Twitter accounts of Kisan Ekta Morcha and a user named ‘Tractor2Twitter’ have been restricted.
Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav alleged the action against the Twitter account was taken on the “request of government authorities”.
He also claimed that the Union government has “reduced the allocation to agriculture sector” in this budget.
Tikait demands separate budget for agriculture sector
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said that the government should provide a separate budget for farmers to address various issues of the farming community. He also sought a waiver of agricultural loans of farmers.
Speaking at the Ghazipur border, Tikait said that there should be a separate budget for the agriculture sector, adding that as farmers are facing tough times the government should also waive the loans of farmers. He added that there should be a scheme to provide free electricity to farmers.