WORLD GLUED TO FARMERS’ CHAKKA JAM
Farmers give Centre time till Oct 2 to repeal farm laws Reject Govt’s offer to keep the farm laws on hold for 18 months
Even as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government tried to downplay the nationwide ‘Chakka Jam’ protests observed by farmers, the world media took note of the ‘Chakka Jam’ protests.
Armed police came out in large numbers across Delhi. Nearly 10 metro stations in central Delhi were shut down for six hours on Saturday. Many protesters said it was to create a false narrative of Khalistanis on the prowl in the national capital to create another spurt of violence at the Red Fort and other parts on the Republic Day.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said that they have given the
Modi-government time till October 2 to repeal the controversial farm laws. “After this, we will do further planning. We won’t hold discussions with the government under pressure,” Tikait said.
Fear was writ large on the people coming out of their homes to unusual security blanket covers. Fortunately, there was no violence in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabadh in the National Capital Region (NCR). Traffic resumed late in the afternoon on the highways to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh after the 3-hour "Chakka Jam". The Police justified the massive security, saying it does not want to take any chance. All 125 entry points to Delhi were cordoned off.
The Home Ministry also ordered the suspension of Internet at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border protest sites from Friday midnight to Saturday midnight. The Haryana government shut down the Internet in the nearby towns on the borders till 5 pm. There were some clashes at the Singhu border. Reporters could not reach the site because of the multi-layered barricades. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the agitating farmer unions, had excluded Delhi and NCR from "chakka jam" on the national and state highways, but the police said it cannot trust the Morcha as its leaders had violated the routes agreed with the police for their tractor rally and resorted to violence instead of the promised peaceful rally.
Protesters on Saturday blocked several key roads in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, while scattered demonstrations were held in several other states during a three-hour 'chakka jam' called by the farmer unions agitating against the Centre's new farm laws.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait declared that their protest on Delhi's outskirts will continue till October 2 and an effort will be made to "connect every village" with the agitation.
Nearly 50 protesters were detained at Shaheedi Park in the national capital, amid stepped-up security by authorities which suspended internet at the protest sites of Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri as well as adjoining areas for 24 hours till Saturday night and closed entry and exit facilities at 10 prominent Delhi Metro stations for few hours.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the farmer unions protesting the three farm laws, had said on Friday that the peasants, barring Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, will block national and state highways for three hours between 12 noon and 3 PM. Tikait claimed inputs had been received regarding some "miscreants trying to disrupt peace" during the "chakka jam".
Protesters also stalled traffic on roads in parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karanataka.