Kumar Bahukhandi
Farmers gather on the road near the Khanauri-Data Singhwala border during the ‘Kisan Bachao Padayatra’ towards Delhi. Protesters seeking to march peacefully to the national capital were stopped at the Punjab-Haryana border and prepared to spend the night at the site-Photo :PTI
BKU Ekta Sidhupur chief Jagjit Singh Dallewal urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana government to allow protesters to proceed on foot; MSP guarantee, farm debt relief and Swaminathan Commission recommendations also figure among demands
In Short
- Farmers seek permission to continue their peaceful march towards Delhi
- Protesters spend the night at the Khanauri border after being stopped from proceeding
- Dallewal says only a limited number of farmers intend to march on foot
- Farmers oppose provisions of the interim India-US trade deal affecting agriculture
- Legal guarantee for MSP, farm loan waiver and implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations remain key demands
- Farmer leader also seeks judicial intervention to help resolve the standoff
Chandigarh: Farmers protesting against the interim India-US trade deal have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Haryana government to allow them to proceed peacefully towards Delhi, as a fresh confrontation over their march left protesters spending the night on the road at the Punjab-Haryana border.
The farmers, participating in the ‘Kisan Bachao Padayatra’, were stopped near the Khanauri-Data Singhwala border after Haryana Police put up heavy barricades to prevent them from advancing towards the national capital.
With further movement blocked, several protesters spread bedding on the road and prepared to remain at the border overnight.
Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur chief Jagjit Singh Dallewal appealed for restraint and said the farmers did not intend to create a confrontation with the Haryana government.
“Our organisation has the capacity to bring thousands of farmers here. However, we want to proceed peacefully with a limited number of people and on foot,” Dallewal said.
He maintained that the protesters had begun their journey on foot but were prevented from proceeding beyond the border.
“We have no conflict with the Haryana government. I appeal to the Haryana government and the Prime Minister to allow us to proceed,” he said.
The immediate protest centres on farmers’ concerns over the interim India-US trade agreement, but the march has also brought several long-standing agricultural demands back into focus.
These include a statutory guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), farm debt relief and implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.
Dallewal described the trade agreement as an issue of considerable importance for Indian agriculture and said farmers wanted the government to address their concerns rather than prevent them from reaching Delhi.
He also sought intervention from the judiciary, suggesting that the Punjab and Haryana High Court or the Supreme Court could take cognisance of the situation and help find a way forward.
The latest mobilisation once again puts the spotlight on the difficult balance between the administration’s responsibility to maintain public order and the democratic right of citizens to hold a peaceful protest.
For the farmers gathered at Khanauri, however, the immediate demand remains straightforward: they want permission to continue their journey towards Delhi without confrontation.
As the protesters wait at the border, attention will now turn to whether the Centre and the Haryana government allow the march to proceed or whether the barricades remain in place, potentially prolonging the standoff.
