On the completion of seven months of farmers’ agitation, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday announced two rallies in Delhi next month to intensify the protest against the Centre’s three new farm laws.

Tikait, who held a meeting with farmers at Delhi’s Ghazipur border, said two decisions were made at the meeting. First, a batch of farmers will leave on tractors for Singhu border from Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district on July 9. Another such rally will start from Bijnor on July 24 and will head towards Ghazipur border via Meerut, Tikait said.

He said at least four lakh tractors and 25 lakh farmers are ready to march towards Delhi. However, if the talks with the Centre resume, then the march will not be taken forward.

June 26 marked the seven months of protest by the farmers over the three new farm laws. Thousands of farmers across India took out rallies to Raj Bhavans in different states on Saturday to submit a memorandum seeking repeal of new farm laws.

A few protesters were detained by the Delhi Police for allegedly blocking the roads, primarily the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana borders. Reacting to this, Rakesh Tikait threatened to lead a march to Delhi and told the authorities to either send the detainees to Tihar Jail or let them meet with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

Later in the day, a virtual meeting of farmers was held with the L- G of Delhi. The secretary to the governor took the memorandum after coming to the office of DCP, Delhi North East. Following this, Rakesh Tikait called off the farmers’ march towards Delhi on Saturday.

Farmers also faced water cannons from the police as they pushed their way through the Chandigarh-Mohali border to submit a memorandum to the Punjab Governor. Later, farm leader Balbir Singh Rajewal submitted the memorandum to the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner for giving it to the Punjab Governor. Similarly, Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Yogendra Yadav gave a memorandum to another official to submit to the Haryana Governor.

Security tightened in Delhi, Haryana

Security was tightened across borders of Delhi on Saturday in view of the anticipated protest march by farmers. Three main stations on the Yellow Line of Delhi Metro — Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines and Vidhan Sabha — were shut down for four hours.

In view of the farmers’ protest march, the Haryana Police had also made security arrangements at Chandigarh-Panchkula border.

Agri minister appeals to farmers to end agitation

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday appealed to protesting farmers to end their agitation while saying that the government is ready to resume talks on the three farm laws.

“I want to tell all the farmers union people that they should end their agitation. The Government of India is also ready to discuss and redress any provision of law,” he said

The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22. Talks were suspended between the two parties after widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November 26, 2020, in protest against the three laws. While the farmers say the new laws will end state procurement of crops at MSP, the government is of the opinion that these laws will help increase the income of farmers.