Farmers threaten to block 'all roads to Delhi' if Nov 26 march stopped

Farmers protesting against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws have threatened to block all roads leading to Delhi from neighbouring states if they are stopped during their march to the national capital on November 26-27.

Balbir Singh Rajewal, president of Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) has said that if they are stopped from marching towards Delhi, the farmers in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will block the national highways leading to Delhi in their respective states, according to The Indian Express.

“When that happens, the capital will be locked from all sides,” he said, adding that the farmers will resort to dharna wherever they are stopped. They will carry necessary items, like ration, tents, quilts. The farmers are used to sleeping on roads, he said. “Farmers from across India, not only from Punjab, will sleep on roads wherever they are stopped during the march to Delhi,” the report quoted him as saying.

The farmers have been denied permission by Delhi government to stage any demonstration at Ram Leela Ground or Jantar Mantar. Nonetheless, the farmers plan to go on with their long march to the capital. Those participating in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march will include members from all 30 farmers organisations of Punjab.

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Rajewal said they are fully focussing on the long march and that’s why they have announced lifting of dharnas from outside railway stations in Punjab so that Railways can start operating train services. The Railways has, meanwhile, drawn up a tentative plan to restore 17 mail and express trains for the Punjab region from Tuesday (November 24).

Meanwhile, the Punjab farmers are apprehending the Haryana government may seal their borders, thus locking them out on their route to Delhi. But that will result in dharna by the farmers, warned Rajewal, adding that the farmers are not bothered about lockdown in Delhi or night curfews in other states. If the demands are not met, we will again resort to rail blockade, he warned.

Besides men, women and children too will be part of the march and they will come in large numbers, said Balbir Kaur, a BKU (Dakaunda) leader. “For us, it is like a war with Delhi over the farm laws,” the report quoted him as saying.

It may be noted that several trade unions have also called a nationwide general strike on November 26, in protest against the new labour and farm laws passed by the Centre.

The three agriculture laws — the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 — were passed during the monsoon session of Parliament amid strong protests by the Opposition.