LIVE: SC to hear plea on removal of farmers from Delhi borders on Dec 16

The hunger strike between 8 am to 5 pm on Monday is part of the farmers' plan to intensify their agitation from Dec 14. Stay tuned for more updates

8:53 PM

LIVE: SC to hear plea seeking removal of farmers protesting at Delhi borders

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on December 16 a plea seeking a direction to authorities to immediately remove the farmers who are protesting at several border points of Delhi against three new farm laws, saying commuters are facing hardships due to the road blockades and the gatherings might lead to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

 

According to the apex court website, a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian will hear the plea filed by law student Rishabh Sharma, who has also sought directions to authorities to open the roads at Delhi's borders, shift the protesters to the allotted place and provide guidelines on social distancing and use of masks at the protest site in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

 

The petition has claimed that the Delhi Police had, on November 27, allowed the protesters to hold a demonstration peacefully at the Nirankari ground in Burari, but despite that, they have blocked the borders of the national capital.

 

8:35 PM

Farmers block Jaipur-Delhi highway in Rajasthan's Alwar

Farmers protesting against the Centre's new agri laws blocked the Jaipur-Delhi national highway in Shahjahanpur of Rajasthan's Alwar district on Sunday as police stopped them along the state's border with Haryana while they were marching towards Delhi. Several farmers' organisations marched through Behror, Shajahapur and Kotputli regions of the state to reach Jaisinghpur-Khera Border.

 

Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, social activists Aruna Roy and Medha Patkar, and CPI (M) leader Amra Ram also reached Shajahapur along with farmers. However, police did not allow them to proceed forward.

 

''We are squatting on the highway in support of farmers. We are ready to vacate the road if we are allowed to march towards Delhi," Yadav told reporters, while apologising to the people for the inconvenience caused to them.

 

Kisan Panchayat president Rampal Chaudhary is also continuing with his protest along with the farmers on the Haryana-Rajasthan border highway as police did not allow them to move forward.

8:14 PM

Farmers' stir LIVE: Kejriwal says will fast on Monday, requests Centre to shun ego and scrap agri laws

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he will observe a day-long fast on Monday in response to a call given by farmers protesting against three new farm laws, and appealed to the BJP-ruled Centre to shun ego and scrap the legislations. Addressing a virtual press briefing on Sunday, the chief minister asked the Centre bring a Bill to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce. Kejriwal said he will hold one-day fast on Monday in response to a call given by the agitating farmers and urged his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers, supporters as well as the people of the country to join in.

 

"I want to appeal to the central government to put an end to their ego. The governments are formed by the public, the public is not formed by the governments. The three farm laws should be immediately repealed and a Bill should be brought to guarantee MSP to farmers," he said.

 

The chief minister said the Centre should immediately accept all demands of the farmers who have been protesting on Delhi's borders for the past two weeks. Kejriwal expressed anguish that some central ministers and BJP leaders were labelling protesting farmers as "traitors and anti-nationals".

 

"I want to ask them, if so many ex-servicemen, national and international sportspersons, singers and celebrities, lawyers and traders supporting and joining them, are all anti-national?" he questioned.

7:47 PM

Farmers sit in protest on a side of Delhi-Jaipur nation highway as Haryana cops put up barricades

Farmers from Rajasthan and some other places gathered in large numbers on the Haryana-Rajasthan border near Rewari for their march towards Delhi and sat in protest on side of the Delhi-Jaipur national highway as the Haryana police put up barricades to stop their onward march. Rewari's Superintendent of Police Abhishek Jorwal told reporters at the site that district authorities had imposed Section 144 of the CrPC banning assembly of five or more people.

 

"We have set up barricades and we will try to stop them here," he said, adding, besides adequate force of the Haryana police, three companies of paramilitary personnel have been deployed to ensure law and order.

 

The farmers were sitting in protest at Jaisinghpur Kheda area in Rewari along Rajasthan-Haryana border (NH-48). Gurgaon is over 70 km from the site while Delhi is nearly 80 km away. Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav, who was at the site, said since the barricades have been put, the farmers had no option but to stage a sit-in.

 

A farmer from Rajasthan who was among those who wanted to march to Delhi against the Centre's new farm laws said they will "force the government to rollback the anti-peasant legislations." Earlier, the farmers had threatened to block the Jaipur-Delhi highway.

7:18 PM

LIVE: Begin hunger strike from wherever you are, farmers' leaders told

After 'Bharat Bandh' called earlier this month, the protesting farmers on Sunday declared a wider day-long movement, urging its leaders to undertake a hunger strike from wherever they are protesting. The announcement comes after a meeting of farmers here at Singhu border gave their nod to the decision taken by farmer representatives of 32 different unions on Saturday for holding the hunger strike on December 14 (Monday) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

Earlier, it was decided that the farmer leaders will hold the hunger strike only on Singhu border at Delhi-Chandigarh route -- one of the major protest site where thousands of farmers have been camping under open skies from November 26 seeking rollback of three farm laws enacted by the government in September during Monsoon Session of Parliament.

 

Addressing a press briefing here at Singhu, Bhartiya Kisan Union's (BKU) Haryana President Gurnam Singh Chathuni said "all the leaders would be carrying out hunger strikes wherever they are leading the protest".

 

Bharatiya Kisan Union's (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said: "The hunger strike would be carried out tomorrow till 5 p.m. but the farmers will have to take care that no disturbing element comes in our movement".

7:09 PM

Various elements try to enter an agitation which is this large: Union Minister Som Parkash

6:37 PM

Heads of all protesting farmer unions to be on hunger strike on Monday against agri laws

The heads of all farmer unions protesting against the Centre's new agri laws for over two weeks now will observe a one-day hunger strike on Monday, farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni said here on Sunday. The hunger strike between 8 am to 5 pm on Monday is part of the farmers' plan to intensify their agitation from December 14. Addressing a press conference at Singhu border, where the farmers have been camping in agitation, Chaduni said the leaders will observe the hunger strike at their respective places.

 

"Also dharnas will be staged at all district headquarters across the country. The protest will go on as usual," he told reporters.

 

"There are groups that are ending protest and saying they are in favour of laws passed by the government. We want to clarify that they are not associated with us. They have been hand-in-gloves with the government, they conspired to sabotage our protest. The government is hatching a conspiracy to derail the ongoing farmers' protest," added Chaduni.

6:21 PM

Probe if unrelated people part of farmers' protest: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

A day after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said the farmers' agitation has been "infiltrated by Leftist and Maoist elements", Union minister Ramdas Athawale said it is important to inquire if such people have entered who have no relation with the farmers' protest. Addressing a press conference in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Sunday, Athawale, head of the Republican Party of India (A) which is an ally of the BJP, also said Union minister Raosaheb Danve's claim of China and Pakistan being behind the farmers' protest is "not the government's stand".

 

"Besides, Pakistan and China's hands cannot reach till here," he said when asked about Danve's claim.

 

To a query on Goyal's remark, Athawale said, "It is important to initiate an inquiry into the remarks made by Piyush Goyal, if such people have entered who have no relation with the farmers' protest."

 

Since November 26, thousands of farmers have been protesting at various Delhi borders against the Centre's three new farm laws.

6:08 PM

Shashi Tharoor joins protesting Punjab MPs at Jantar Mantar

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday joined the protest staged by his party colleagues from Punjab at Jantar Mantar in demanding the withdrawal of the new farm laws and holding the Winter Session of Parliament. Shashi Tharoor tweeted, "Joined my Parliament colleagues @JasbirGillKSMP & @GurjeetSAujla in their dharna to support the farmers' protests & demand a WinterSession of Parliament to discuss the issue. GoI's stubborn refusal to consult stakeholders before taking decisions is self-defeating."

 

Tharoor said, "The MPs are saying that the Centre settle the matter with the farmers' unions and call the winter session of Parliament".

 

The protest by the Punjab Congress MPs at the Jantar Mantar in Central Delhi was joined by many party MLAs and leaders. Speaking to IANS, Congress MP Jasbir Singh Gill Dimpa said: "We will sit here till farmers protest against the new farm laws. The government should withdraw the new farm laws enacted and look into their demands and resolve the matter."

5:42 PM

Centre should shun arrogance and scrap three farm laws opposed by farmers: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asked the BJP-ruled Centre to shun "arrogance" and scrap three farm laws as demanded by agitating farmers, and bring a Bill to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce. Kejriwal said he will hold one-day fast on Monday in response to a call given by the agitating farmers and urged his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers as well as the people of the country to join in.

 

Addressing a virtual press briefing, the chief minister said the Centre should immediately accept all demands of the farmers who have been protesting on Delhi's borders for the past two weeks.

 

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

5:34 PM

Farmers will be on one-day hunger strike from 8 am to 5 pm tomorrow

5:28 PM

Centre should immediately accept all demands of farmers protesting against agri laws and bring a Bill to guarantee MSP: Arvind Kejriwal

5:25 PM

Centre should shun arrogance and scrap three farm laws opposed by farmers: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

4:27 PM

Govt's door is always open for farmers, ready for talks: Prakash Javadekar

On the 18th day of farmers' protest on different border of the national capital, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the government's door is always open for farmers and it is ready to discuss their issues. The Minister expressed his view while talking to media at his residence ahead of farmers' 'hunger strike' announcement for December 14 at Singhu border -- one of the key agitation spots at Delhi-Chandigarh route where thousands of farmers are sitting under open skies braving chilly winter nights.

 

"Government's door is always open to have conversation with farmers on their issues. The procedure is continuously moving forward. The government is keeping proper monitoring of the current situation and ongoing developments," Javadekar said.

 

Javadekar's initiative is also significant at a time when farmers have announced their plan to expand their demonstrations to a 'pan-India' scale, appealing all sections of society, including girls and women, to join them as they could not get any positive signal from the Central government about rolling back the three contentious farm laws enacted in September.

4:00 PM

Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Som Parkash meet Amit Shah, discuss farmers' issue

3:56 PM

Prominent people who're protesting farm laws, doing it just for the sake of opposing laws: Ravi Shankar Prasad

3:50 PM

Security up in Gurugram as farmers stopped on Haryana-Rajasthan border

Security in Gurugram district was beefed up on Sunday with the deployment of more police, rapid action force and even paramilitary personnel even as hundreds of farmers from Rajasthan were stopped on the Haryana-Rajasthan border the previous night. The protesting farmers staged a dharna at the interstate border point on the service lane of the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway after police stopped them from proceeding further on Saturday night. They are now awaiting more farmers to join in.

 

Sources said that more police personnel than farmers were seen deployed at the Rajasthan-Haryana border falling in Gurugram district on Sunday.

 

"Thousands of police personnel along with water cannons, cranes/JCBs and anti-riot equipment have been stationed across the National Highway to stop farmers from entering Gurugram area," said Nikita Gahlaut, DCP (Manesar).

 

As of Saturday evening, two groups of farmers from Rajasthan, with more expected to join them on Sunday, turned up to participate in the call for "blocking" the NH-48. As the protestors sat on a dharna on the NH's service lane, they shouted slogans to demand the repeal of the three new central farm laws.

3:12 PM

Farmers' protest LIVE: Security personnel put barricades near Jaisinghpur-Khera border

2:42 PM

Normal traffic resumes at Chilla border, farmers say protest still on at Noida border

Protesting farmers on Sunday vacated carriageways on the Noida-Delhi Link Road via Chilla following a late night meeting with Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Narendra Tomar. Normal traffic resumed between Noida and Delhi via Chilla border after farmers vacated the spot they had been occupying since December 1 for their sit-in demonstration. The movement on the DND and the Kalindi Kunj routes, both connecting Delhi and Noida, was also normal, they said.

 

The protest, however, continued at the border with some Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) members, including their chief Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh, staying put at Chilla. The farmers had vacated the carriageways around Saturday midnight after a meeting with Defence Minister Singh and Agriculture Minister Tomar, a BKU (Bhanu) office-bearer said.

 

Rajnath ji heard our demands and agreed to take the discussions further and resolve the issues. We were convinced and decided to vacate the road. However, this does not mean that our protest is over, Satish Tomar, a senior IT Cell member of the BKU (Bhanu), told PTI.

2:18 PM

Farmers' union leaders who are adamant about agitation will become irrelevant: Som Parkash

2:17 PM

Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Som Parkash meet Amit Shah at latter's residence

2:01 PM

Breaking through checkpoint near Kundli border, another batch of Punjab farmers reaches Delhi

Thousands of farmers under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), led by its Punjab President Satnam Singh Pannu and General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, reached Delhi on Sunday, breaking through a checkpoint near Kundli border. The convoy was so large that it could not be controlled even with eight loudspeaker vehicles of Delhi Police, which also had to remove a second checkpoint one kilometer behind the Kundli border.

 

"A convoy of labourers and farmers broke through the first check post at Kundli border. Police used heavy tippers, trucks and other means to strengthen the second checkpoint," the release stated. The KMSC also alleged that police misled the convoy at several places. "Thousands of vehicles remained stuck in traffic jams throughout the night and reached Delhi today." 

Later addressing the media, the leaders said that that the Prime Minister's intention is to bring corporate houses into the agricultural sector, which is already private. "If the morcha has to be held till 2024 to repeal the agriculture laws, so be it. The agitation against the "anti-agriculture" laws will be intensified," said Pandher, adding that the Rail Roko morcha at Jandiala Guru town in Punjab has entered its 81st day.

 

Another batch of farmers from Gurdaspur would leave for Delhi on December 25, as per the committee.

1:52 PM

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor joins farmers' protest at Jantar

1:15 PM

Punjab DIG tenders resignation in view of farmers protest

Punjab DIG (Prisons) Lakhminder Singh Jakhar writes to State Principal Secy Home requesting 'to be treated as prematurely retired from service'; says "I'd like to inform you of my considered decision to stand with my farmer brothers who're peacefully protesting against Farm laws."

12:52 PM

Homemaker, farmworker and now protester, hundreds of women join farmers' agitation

They have long juggled the demands of field and family, making sure both are tended to, and now hundreds of women from Haryana and Punjab have added another dimension to their busy lives the protest grounds at the various gateways into Delhi. As their husbands, sons and brothers leave home to demand a rollback of the Centre's new agri laws, many women are joining them too, making the trip from village towards the national capital even if for only a few days at a time.

For these women, who describe themselves as homemakers, farmworkers and protesters all rolled into one, any suggestion that farmers are about being alpha males because it requires physical labour is met with scorn. "The profession of farming is not defined by gender. Our fields don't produce crops differently if tended by women and men. Many male farmers are here protesting. Why should we sit at home?" asked 53-year-old Mandeep Kaur, a farmer from Ludhiana who refuses to be stereotyped into any one role.

12:40 PM

Protesting farmers at Rajasthan-Haryana border to begin march towards Delhi

Amid the ongoing demonstration against the farm laws, farmers protesting near Jaisinghpur Kheda area in Rewari at the Rajasthan-Haryana border are waiting for more farmers to arrive, for their march towards Delhi.

"Today more people and unions are coming from Rajashatan at the border area. After gathering the crowd we will move towards Delhi. Among other things, we want the three laws to be repealed. We are standing with the farmers of Punjab and Haryana. We don't have any separate demands. We are with our union leaders," said Banwari Lal from Jaipur, who is a Convener of Rashtriya Kisan Mahasabha.

On the Centre's stand that they will not repeal the law, he said, "So what! We never told that we will head back if they will not repeal the law. We will continue our march towards Delhi."

12:17 PM

11:55 AM

Normal traffic resumes at Chilla border, farmers say protest still on at Noida border

Protesting farmers on Sunday vacated carriageways on the Noida-Delhi Link Road via Chilla following a late night meeting with Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Narendra Tomar. Officals said normal traffic resumed between Noida and Delhi via Chilla border after farmers vacated the spot they had been occupying since December 1 for their sit-in demonstration.

The movement on the DND and the Kalindi Kunj routes, both connecting Delhi and Noida, was also normal, they said. The protest, however, continued at the border with some Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) members, including their chief Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh, staying put at Chilla. The farmers had vacated the carriageways around Saturday midnight after a meeting with Defence Minister Singh and Agriculture Minister Tomar, a BKU (Bhanu) office-bearer said.

11:47 AM

Modi govt brought in new farm laws to double farmers' income, says Anurag Thakur

With continued farmers protests regarding the Central farm laws, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Anurag Thakur has said that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought three laws to double the income of farmers and that the present government paid Minimum Support Price (MSP), double than what was paid by the previous UPA government.

"The three agriculture laws were brought so as to double the income of farmers. In the last six years, Modi government paid more than double MSP, then what was paid in the UPA time. During 2009-2014, the UPA government paid Rs 3,75,000 crore whereas the NDA government has paid over Rs 8,00,000 crore," the Minister said while speaking to ANI.

"The farmers have been given the freedom to sell their products to anybody in the country at any cost. They will own their farmlands, only their crops will be on contracts. The government has made this arrangement too. The Centre is working hard to double their income by 2022," he added.

11:25 AM