We have constitutional right to conduct peaceful tractor rally: Farmers’ Union

Protesting union leaders on Monday said that farmers have a constitutional right to take out their tractor rally peacefully and asserted that thousands of people will participate in the proposed event on January 26.

The Supreme Court of India said that the Delhi Police is the first authority to decide the entry of protesting farmers into the national capital. The apex court was hearing a plea from the Centre, filed through the Delhi Police, seeking restriction against the proposed farmers’ tractor march. The Supreme Court bench led by the CJI has adjourned the matter to January 20.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) Punjab general secretary Paramjit Singh said that farmers are not going to hold their rally on Rajpath and in other high-security areas, adding that they would only take out it on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi and that there will be no disruption in the official Republic Day parade.

The ‘Delhi Chalo’ farmers’ protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 54th day on Monday. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are staging a sit-in protest along Delhi borders. The protest started on November 26. The farmers are demanding a complete revocation of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system being retained.

Multiple rounds of talks between the Indian government and the farmers’ union leaders have ended in a stalemate. Protesting farmers fear that the new laws will dismantle the MSP system and corporatise farming. On January 12, the Supreme Court ordered a stay on the implementation of these contentious laws hoping it will end the farmers’ protest.

The apex court also formed a four-member panel of agricultural experts to resolve the standoff between their farmers’ union leaders and the Centre. However, in their response to what the court called an extraordinary order of stay, the farmer unions made it clear that they will not call off the protest until the three reform laws enacted in September are repealed.

The next round of talks are expected to be held tomorrow. Ahead of the 10th round of talks scheduled on January 19, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar yesterday again urged the protesting farm leaders to give up their “stubborn” stand on the new farm reform laws and come for a clause by clause discussion.