Thousands of tractors gathered outside New Delhi on Monday, gearing up to rival the annual Republic Day Parade with tanks and troops in a protest against Centre's contentious agricultural reforms.
Ahead of farmers' tractor parade in Delhi on Tuesday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday appealed to farmers to ensure their rally remains peaceful as their stir against agri laws has been so far.
Let me officially declare it on the behalf of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha that 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' will be taken out from nine locations including Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri borders: Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj India
(ANI)
In an apparent bid to thwart plans for taking out tractor rallies by supporters of the agitating farmers in Delhi, the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, about 350 kilometres from Lucknow, had ordered a ban on sale of fuel for tractors on Tuesday, the Republic Day.
Thousands of tractors gathered outside New Delhi on Monday, gearing up to rival the annual Republic Day Parade with tanks and troops in a protest against Centre's contentious agricultural reforms.
Thousands of armed personnel have been deployed at the Rajpath and several border points of the national capital which has been brought under a multi-layered security cover in view of Republic Day celebrations as well as the proposed tractor parade by farmers on Tuesday.
In a show of strength, hundreds of women are expected to drive tractors at 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' on Republic Day, as a large number of farmers opposing the new agriculture laws will enter the national capital under a high-security cover.
(ANI)
The Delhi Traffic Police on Monday asked commuters to avoid the routes where protesting farmers will hold their tractor rally or 'Kisan Gantantra Parade' on Republic Day.
An organisation representing farm labourers will hold a tractor morcha here in Maharashtra on January 26 in support of the farmers agitating at Delhi borders for the repeal of the three agri laws, a functionary said on Monday.
(ANI)
They (farmers) could have chosen any other day instead of January 26 but they have announced now. Conducting rally peacefully without any accident would be the concern for farmers as well as police administration: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar
(ANI)
You are going to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor. Maharashtra has never seen such a Governor before. He has the time to meet Kangana (Ranaut) but not the farmers. It was the moral responsibility of the Governor to come here & meet you: NCP chief Sharad Pawar
Due to the tractor rally of farmers, interstate buses and local buses will not be operational from Anand Vihar ISBT from 6 am to 6 pm on 26th January. Interstate buses plying from here will run from Sarai Kale Khan: Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC)
(ANI)
Braving cold weather, farmers from Punjab, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh are agitating for the last 60 days. Has the PM enquired about them? Do these farmers belong to Pakistan?: NCP chief Sharad Pawar addressing farmers' rally in Mumbai in support of farmers protesting in Delhi
After discussions with farmer leaders, we have mutually agreed on 3 routes for the tractor rally (on January 26). We (police & farmer leaders) have visited the routes. There are some anti-national elements who can create disruption & we're careful about that: Delhi CP SN Shrivastava
(ANI)
Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday said there was no need of a farmers' march in Mumbai in support of peasants protesting near Delhi against the Centre's three new farm laws, and claimed it is being done only for "publicity".
We feel that the kind of permission granted to us for tractor rally is not right. We wanted to go to the old Ring Road but we were given conditional permission & assigned the portion that comes largely under Haryana: Sukhwinder Singh Sabhra, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee
All we're saying is that we don't want to go there, we just want to go to Ring Road. We'll have a meeting with Police at 10 am today over this. It will then be decided where will we finally go. After the meeting, we'll decide the time & route of the rally, he added.
ANI
The rally will begin from Nice Junction at Tumkur Road and proceed towards Goraguntepalya, Yashwantpur before reaching Circle Maramma Temple near Malleshwaram 18th cross. From there, the farmers will reach Freedom Park via Ananda Rao Circle.
"Remember, our aim is not to conquer Delhi, but to win over the hearts of the people of this county."
This is the message the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, which is spearheading the farmers' protests at Delhi borders against the three contentious farm laws, to its supporters taking out the 'tractor parade' on Tuesday soon after the conclusion of theRepublic Day parade.
Farmers leaders and police officials held multiple rounds of talks on holding the tractor parade and a final settlement came on Sunday afternoon when police allowed farmers to enter "respectable distance" into Delhi from three of the five borders where they are sitting in protest against the three contentious farm laws, which they want the government to repeal.
There have been moments of high drama and some serious negotiations but little agreement as farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders since November 26 remained firm on their demand for repeal and the government stuck to its stand for anything but repeal.