Protest Day 3: 'Rail roko' across Punjab today
The Bharatiya Kisan Union-Ugrahan (BKU-Ugrahan) has announced a "rail roko" (stop trains) protest in Punjab from 12:00pm to 4:00pm on Thursday, even as the farmer leaders get ready to hold talks with the Centre. Several farmers' unions have extended their support to the protesters at Shambhu border and Khanauri border in Punjab. According to reports, the rail roko protest is also in response to the police action against agitators. As of now, 10 sites have been selected for the protest.
Why does this story matter?
Thousands of farmers from Haryana and Punjab have launched a "Delhi Chalo" protest over their demands, which include a law that guarantees a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. Moreover, agitators are seeking the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations and agricultural loan waivers and pensions for farmers and farm laborers. They are also demanding the withdrawal of cases against farmers (from 2020-21's protest) and "justice" for the Lakhimpur Kheri violence victims.
Nationwide strike announced on Friday
BKU-Ugrahan General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan expressed his solidarity with the protesting farmers. He said, "To prove it (solidarity), our supporters will hold rail roko at as many places as we can." Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Kadian)'s Harmeet Singh Kadian and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) Punjab Chapter have announced a nationwide strike on Friday, to support the farmers' "Delhi Chalo" protest.
Watch Kadian's full comments here
Third round of talks between Centre, farmers
Three Union ministers are scheduled to meet farmers' leaders in Chandigarh for the third round of talks on Thursday, as the stand-off between the protesters and police at the Haryana-Punjab border continues. According to Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, the meeting will be held with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai, and Arjun Munda at 5:00pm. The previous two meetings, held before the farmers' march to Delhi began, were "inconclusive."
Want PM Modi have a conversation with Union ministers: Pandher
During an interview with ANI, Pandher said, "We want PM Narendra Modi to have a conversation with them (Union ministers) so that we can reach a solution for our demands." If that isn't possible, he argued that the farmers should be allowed to protest peacefully in the national capital. "We are going to attend the meeting in a completely positive mood today and we have full confidence that a positive solution will emerge from this," added Pandher.
Security beefed up in Delhi, nearby states amid protests
As a preemptive measure, multiple layers of metal spikes and concrete blocks have been installed at Delhi's Singhu and Tikri borders with Haryana and at the Ghazipur border with Uttar Pradesh. Amid the ongoing protests, commuters are encountering significant challenges at the Singhu border. The area has been sealed off, with a substantial presence of law enforcement officers and paramilitary personnel, causing inconvenience and difficulty for travelers.
