Farmers threaten to march to Parliament

Union Budget Day call, even as Capital gears up for tractor rally today

As thousands of farmers on tractors converged on the periphery of the national capital, one of the unions threatened to march to Parliament on February one -- the day of presentation of the Union Budget.

The decision at the eleventh hour to ‘mob’ the Parliament House has added a new dimension to a stir which was until now confined to the outskirts.

"On February 1, we will march on foot towards Parliament in Delhi from all directions," said Darshan Pal of the Krantikari Kisan Union, one of the nearly 40 groups that are protesting on Delhi’t borders for the last two months.In hindsight, the Delhi Police is feeling cheated for having allowed the tractor parade on the outskirts of the national capital, two hours after the traditional and official Republic Day Parade is over on the Rajpath.

Its officers said the threatened march on foot by the farmers is just not acceptable. They said there will be chaos if the farmers take off in all directions to reach Parliament House and they may be constrained to even impose a curfew. (There are invariably prohibitory orders in the area.)On Tuesday, the farmers, who are camping along three border points at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, and plan to fan out from five different locations.

According to sources, they are adamant and won’t go back until the government rolls back the three laws.

They have already rejected outright the government's latest offer last week to suspend the implementation of the three laws for one-and-ahalf years. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar reiterated this was the best offer they could have made and the farmers should consider it, as repeal of laws was just not acceptable to the government.The unions claim around two lakh tractors are expected to participate in the parade, which is intended to exhibit that the agitation is not just restricted to Haryana or Punjab.

Huge security arrangements have been made for the tractor rally, which will begin at 10 am after the R-Day parade at Rajpath concludes. The farmers’ procession will move along the Ring Road.