Despite rising barricades, thousands converge at Ghazipur

Despite an increasing number of barricades, thousands of farmers have been converging at Ghazipur at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border following a tearful Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait's impassioned appeal to protesters to bolster the stir.

The tide of the over 2month protest against the farm laws, which had lost its sheen after the violence in Delhi during the tractors parade on Republic Day, appears to have regained momentum as is evident from the increased number of tents set up at the protest site.

Many protesters waited for hours to talk to Tikait or take a selfie with him as the farm leader remained busy meeting his supporters and talking to the media.

A Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) member said Tikait has been sleeping only for around 3 hours a day for the last 3 days. "He had complained of blood pressure issues, but is doing fine now," the member said.

Farmers, carrying tricolours and raising slogans, took out marches, while a group of youths gathered at a spot near the DelhiMeerut expressway and danced to patriotic songs till the sun went down.

The scene was quite different just three days ago.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly broadcast, wherein on

Sunday he maintained his government is committed to "modernising" farming and has been taking many steps, many urged him to listen to the ' Mann ki Baat' of the farmers.

"If a politician can come to our house asking for our votes, why cannot they come to us here to resolve the issue... If PM Modi wants to talk, he should give us a phone number to call," said 64-year Satbir Singh from Haryana's Jind district.

Ravinder Singh, 63, from Uttar Pradesh's Hapur, said farmers want to return to their fields, "but that will happen only when the three laws are repealed and a legal guarantee ensuring minimum support price is provided."

I would warn that suppressing any issue in the world is not a solution. By pressing, it goes down for some time, but then it emerges with even bigger force. It is in the interest of the nation to find a speedy solution to this issue. I urge the govt to listen to their concerns. Both sides should responsibly engage in talks. —Satya Pal Malik, Meghalaya Governor