Thousands of farmers Tuesday marched towards Delhi over demands ranging from farm loan waiver to cut in fuel prices, blocking traffic movement on arterial roads leading to the national capital.
As Kisan Kranti March turned violent on Tuesday with police resorting to lathi-charge, water cannons and tear gas, Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the BJP government for 'thrashing' farmers on International Non-Violence Day.
"BJP's two-year-old Gandhi Jayanti celebration on World Nonviolence Day began with the savage thrashing of farmers peacefully coming to Delhi. Now, the farmers cannot even come to the national capital to express their pain!," Gandhi posted on Twitter.
Earlier during the day, adding fuel to the fire, political leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other political leaders criticised the Modi government as the farmers' protest turned intense.
"Farmers should be allowed to enter Delhi. Why are they not being allowed to enter Delhi? This is wrong. We are with the farmers," Kejriwal was quoted as saying to news agency ANI.
"This Govt has not fulfilled the promises it made to farmers, so it is all but natural that farmers would protest. It is unfortunate and we fully support the farmers," Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav told ANI.
"It reconfirms the fact that Modi govt is anti-farmers. Instead of providing relief to farmers they are exasperating the crisis further forcing farmers to be under debt burden and distress suicides. We haven't seen such an agrarian distress in India since independence," CPM leader Sitaram Yechury was quoted as saying by ANI.
Thousands of farmers Tuesday marched towards Delhi over demands ranging from farm loan waiver to cut in fuel prices, blocking traffic movement on arterial roads leading to the national capital.
The situation grew tense when despite police warnings, the farmers tried to break the barricade in their attempt to enter the national capital. As the protests turned violent, the police resorted to water cannons, tear gas and mild lathi-charge.
National Highways leading to the national capital were swamped with farmers who came in from places as far as Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh as well as the sugarcane belt of western Uttar Pradesh.
Police picketed the border with Uttar Pradesh, imposing prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more people and holding of any public meeting, usage of any amplifier, loudspeaker, and similar instruments.
"Why have we been stopped here (at UP-Delhi border)? The rally was proceeding in a disciplined manner. If we don't tell our government about our problems then whom do we tell? Do we go to Pakistan or Bangladesh," Naresh Tikait, the president of Bharatiya Kisan Union, who is leading the protest was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Kisan Kranti Yatra, which began from Tikait Ghat in Haridwar on September 23, was joined by farmers from various parts of Uttar Pradesh. They came on foot, in buses and tractor trolleys. They carried banners of Bhartiya Kisan Union, which gave the call for the march to press for a series of demands. Another farmer claimed over 3 lakh peasants are marching towards Rajghat.
"We are not seeking any alms from the government. We want our right," said Harmik Singh, a farmer who came from Meerut.
Farmers are in distress because of high electricity prices and fuel rates shooting through the roof, he said. "Aap ko 500 rupiya ka gas theek lagta hai? (Does LPG price of Rs 500 sound right to you," he asked.
The farmers' list of demands includes unconditional loan waiver for farmers, clearing of dues by sugar mills, higher prices for crops, free electricity for farms and a cut in diesel prices.
(With PTI inputs)
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