Farmers call off Feb 1 march to Parliament; 2 unions withdraw from protests

Mangalore Today News Network / Yahoo

New Delhi, Jan 27, 2021:     Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Balbir S Rajewal on Wednesday said that the farmers’ march to Parliament planned for 1 February (Budget day) has been postponed due to the violence on Republic Day.

 

“On Martyrs’ Day, we will hold public rallies across India on behalf of the farmers’ agitation. We will also keep a one-day fast,” he said, according to ANI.

Earlier, in a significant development, two major farmers’ unions -- the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) and the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee -- have condemned the violence and vandalism that shamed the nation on Republic Day and decided to withdraw from farmers’ protests with immediate effect.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu), which has been protesting at the Chilla border for the last 58 days has withdrawn its protest. “I am deeply pained by whatever happened in Delhi yesterday and ending our 58-day protest,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) at Chilla border.

Echoing similar sentiments, VM Singh of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan on Wednesday, said: “I can’t carry forward this protest with someone whose direction is different. I wish them best, but VM Singh & Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan are withdrawing from the protest: VM Singh, Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan & All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police have filed an FIR mentioning the names of 37 farmer leaders, including Medha Patkar, Buta Singh, Yogendra Yadav, Rakesh Tikait and Darshan Pal, holding them responsible for January 26 violence.

The FIR states that acts like not following mutually agreed route and timing of farmers’ rally to disrupt R-Day parade were done. Farmer leaders Rajinder Singh, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Buta Singh Burjgil & Joginder Singh Ugraha too have been named in the FIR for breach of NOC issued regarding farmers’ tractor rally.

With some farmers resorting to extreme violence and unprecedented vandalism on Republic Day in Delhi, which shamed the entire nation and also potentially weakened the farmers’ protests, many farm unions are uncomfortable with going ahead with criminal elements. Farmers now stand divided. The fissures amongst farmers’ unions are becoming stark, with each one accusing the other of perpetrating the violence in Delhi.

The All India Kisan Sangarsh Coordination Committee is a pan-Indian umbrella organisation comprising 250 farmers’ organisations.

However, may farmers, who turned violent during their tractor rally on Republic Day, continue to be adamant, saying that they have no plans to abandon their march to the Parliament on February 1, reports say that the farmer unions could likely call off their march on Budget Day.

More than 300 police personnel were injured, two of them critically, after rioting farmers broke barriers to storm Delhi on Tuesday.

After 10 hours of mayhem and vandalism, most farmers returned to Delhi’s borders, but the situation is far from calm.

Tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police in multiple places, leading to chaos in well known landmarks of Delhi and suburbs, amid waves of violence that ebbed and flowed through the day, leaving the farmers’ two-month peaceful movement in tatters.

As many as 22 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence during the rally yesterday, said the Delhi Police on Wednesday morning.