Farmers' protest LIVE: SC should scrap new farm laws, says Congress

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: Farmer unions have begun holding tractor rallies at villages in Punjab

10:00 PM

Govt should facilitate tractor rally, not stop it, say union leaders

Even as uncertainty looms over their planned tractor rally on the Republic Day, farmer unions agitating against the new agri laws on Tuesday said their preparations are in full gear and authorities should facilitate the "peaceful march", instead of stopping it. After the Delhi Police sought an injunction on the tractor rally, the Supreme Court on Monday said the decision on it has to be taken by the Centre and the police, and the official permission is yet to be worked out.

Protesting unions, which plan to hold the rally on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on January 26, have begun holding tractor rallies at villages in Punjab to mobilise people for the parade and and said more farmers will be heading to the national capital in batches later this week. There is a great enthusiasm among people in Punjab to become part of the tractor parade. Our batches will start moving towards Delhi from January 23 and 24, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) president Jagjit Singh Dallewal said 20,000-25,000 tractors would come to Delhi from Punjab alone for the planned parade. We want the government to give us permission for our rally. This is our country and it is our constitutional right to voice our needs and demands," said Amarjeet Singh Rarra, general secretary, Deaba Kisan Committee, said on Delhi's Singhu border. We will march with our farmer unions' flags and the national flag. So if they fight us, they will be fighting the tiranga', he said.

8:25 PM

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to take part in protest against farm laws

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar will take part in a protest to be staged here in support of the farmers agitating against Centre's three new farm laws on borders of New Delhi, state Minister Nawab Malik said on Tuesday.

 

Some farmers' organisations have planned to hold protests in Mumbai from January 23 to January 25.

 

"Sharad Pawar will take part in the protest to be held at Azad Maidan (in south Mumbai) on January 25. The NCP has opposed the farm laws. The chief minister and leaders of the ruling MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) will also take part," said Malik, who is the national spokesperson of the NCP.

7:43 PM

Farmer unions build up for R-Day tractor parade with village-level rallies

Farmer unions have begun holding tractor rallies at villages in Punjab to mobilise people for their planned tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day. Already tractor rallies have been held in places like Nawanshahr and Gurdaspur as a build-up to the proposed January 26 event, farmer leaders said. More are planned over the next two days.

 

There is a great enthusiasm among people in Punjab to become part of the tractor parade, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said on Tuesday.

 

He claimed that five to 10 tractors are ready to leave for Delhi from many villages, and in some over 50 are lined up.

 

We are fully geared up for a tractor parade. We have given a call for taking out tractor marches in all villages in the state on January 20 and 21 in view of the January 26 tractor parade, said Kokrikalan.

6:59 PM

We'll keep our personal views on farm laws aside; Repeal not good for future reforms: SC-appointed panel

Under attack from protesting unions for their "pro-government" public stand on three contentious farm laws, members of a panel set up by the Supreme Court to resolve the crisis said on Tuesday they will keep aside their own ideology and views while consulting various stakeholders, even as they indicated a complete repeal won't augur well for much-needed agriculture reforms.

 

A key committee member and president of Maharashtra-based Shetkari Sanghatana, Anil Ghanwat said the farm sector reforms are much needed and no political party in the next 50 years will ever attempt them again if these laws are repealed.

 

He, however, added the panel will listen to all farmers, including those supporting and those opposing the laws, and accordingly prepare a report for submitting to the apex court.

6:00 PM

Congress does not want govt-farmers talks to succeed: BJP

The BJP on Tuesday accused the Congress of working to scuttle the ongoing talks between the government and farmer unions, hitting back at the opposition party's leader Rahul Gandhi over his attack on the Modi dispensation over farm laws and national security. Senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the opposition party does not want the talks to succeed and has resorted to obstructive tactics.

 

The next round of talks between the government and farmer unions is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

He expressed confidence that the talks will be successful and claimed that the three laws, whose repeal has been demanded by protesting farmers, were based on demands made by the farming community over the years. Addressing a press conference after Gandhi released a booklet "Kheti ka khoon" and attacked the government, Javadekar accused him of running away from the questions BJP president J P Nadda asked of him on Twitter and alleged that the Congress leader displayed his "familiar indecency" while referring to his party chief.

5:19 PM

Telangana Congress leaders detained during protest over farm laws

Hyderabad police detained leaders and workers of opposition Congress party as they tried to march towards Raj Bhavan on Tuesday to protest against the new farm laws enacted by the Centre and the hike in petrol and diesel prices. State Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy and other leaders were stopped at Lumbini Park by the police who were deployed in large numbers to foil the protest march.

 

Expressing solidarity with protesting farmers and demanding rollback of hike in petrol and diesel prices, the Congress leaders marched from Assembly towards Raj Bhavan but the police stopped them near secretariat.

 

The protestors were also stopped on other roads leading towards Raj Bhavan. Police said there is no need for the protest. There was an argument between the police personnel and protestors and pushing and jostling between the two sides led to mild tension.

4:13 PM

Farmer leaders remain steadfast on Republic Day tractor rally

Farmer leaders on Tuesday after a meeting with top police officials of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana said they are standing firm on their decision to go ahead with their tractor rally inside Delhi on Republic Day.

 

Police top brass who attended the meeting are believed to have told the farmer leaders to rethink their decision to hold the tractor rally in Delhi on January 26. Another meeting to discuss the same is likely to be held in a day or two.

 

Darshan Pal, President of Krantikari Kisan Union said there would be change in the proposed rally.

 

"We have told the officials that lakhs of tractors will be on Ring Road as scheduled and have assured them that the rally will be a peaceful one. The police officials said that they will think over it and another set of the meeting on this particular issue is going to be held in a day or two" Pal told ANI.

 

3:51 PM

Panel members to keep aside personal views on farm laws: Anil Ghanwat

Members of the Supreme Court-appointed panel on farm laws will not let their personal views on these Acts come in the way of their deliberations with various stakeholders, key committee member Anil Ghanwat said on Tuesday, while asserting that they are not on the side of any party or the government. After their first meeting here, Ghanwat said the first round of consultations with farmers and other stakeholders has been scheduled for Thursday.

 

The Supreme Court had set up the four-member panel on January 11, but one of them, Bhupinder Singh Mann, recused himself later after questions were raised by the agitating farmer unions about the views expressed by all members in the past in support of the contentious laws, against which thousands are protesting on Delhi borders for almost two months now.

 

Separately, nine rounds of talks have taken place between the government and agitating unions without any concrete resolution. Ghanwat, who is the president of the Shetkari Sanghatana, said the panel will hold its first round of talks with farmers and other stakeholders on January 21.

3:32 PM

Biggest challenge is to convince the agitating farmers: Member of SC-formed committee

2:49 PM

Centre's farm laws designed to destroy agriculture; only solution is repealing them: Rahul Gandhi

The Centre's new farm laws are designed to "destroy" the agriculture sector, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Tuesday and asserted that the only solution to the farmers' issue is to repeal the legislations. At a press conference, Gandhi also released a booklet highlighting the "plight" of farmers in the wake of the Centre's three farm laws. He alleged that the laws will put the entire agriculture sector in the hands of "three to four crony capitalists".

 

The Centre's new farm laws are "designed to destroy" the agriculture sector, the former Congress chief said.

 

"I support the protesting farmers 100 per cent and every single person in the country should support them as they are fighting for us," he said.

 

There is just one solution that these three laws will have to repealed, Gandhi said when asked about the impasse in talks between the government and the protesting farmers. Hitting back at BJP president J P Nadda for his tweets earlier in the day criticising him, the Congress leader said it was an "attempted distraction". The farmers know that it was Rahul Gandhi who stood up in Bhatta Parsaul and over the land acquisition issue, not BJP leader Nadda, he said.

2:20 PM

India can see reality of Supreme Court: Rahul Gandhi on SC-appointed committee on farm laws

1:59 PM

BJP chief J P Nadda slams Rahul Gandhi for remarks on China, farm laws

12:52 PM

We stand by farmers of this country, says D K Shivkumar, Congress

We stand by farmers of this country. Supreme Court has stayed the laws. They shouldn't stay but scrap it. This is what Congress demands. The farmers' demand is justified. On behalf of Congress party, we are holding a big protest tomorrow to support them: DK Shivkumar, Congress

10:36 AM

Punjab CM accuses government of oppressive tactics against protesting farmers

Condemning NIA notices "to several farmers and their supporters" in the midst of the anti-farm laws agitation, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said "such arm-twisting tactics" would not weaken the resolve of the farmers to fight for their rights and their future.

 

"Do these farmers look like secessionists and terrorists?," he asked slamming the BJP-led government at the Centre.

 

He accused the government of resorting to "reprehensible and oppressive tactics" and "intimidatory actions" in its "desperation to undermine the fighting spirit of peacefully protesting farmers," according to an official release.

10:28 AM

Farmer leader Chaduni hits out at Kakka over allegations of political outreach, will issue notice against him

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Haryana president Gurnam Singh Chaduni said farmer leader Shivkumar Singh was levelling "baseless allegations" against him.

 

Farmer leader Shivkumar Singh, a member of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha had alleged that Chaduni met some politicians at Delhi's Constitution Club on Sunday.

 

Chaduni said that the allegations can't be of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha; instead it is of Shivkumar Singh's who himself is allegedly an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supporter.

 

"This can't be the allegation of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) but an individual. These are Kakkaji's allegations who is an RSS supporter. He was head of Rashtriya Kisan Sangh for a long time, a branch of RSS. They are trying to divide and rule. We will issue a notice to the newspaper that published the article, as well as Kakka. He should have provided some evidence," BKU chief told ANI.