After A Month At Borders, Farmers To Enter Delhi Today For ‘Mahapanchayat’

New Delhi:
After camping at Delhi’s borders for a month, protesting farmers will march into the national capital to press their demands that include a legal guarantee for a safety net on the pricing of all crops.

Here are 10 facts on the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Delhi today:

  1. The Delhi Police has granted permission to the farmers to hold a ‘Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat’ at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground today.

  2. The police though have imposed some conditions on the farmers – no tractor trolleys, no march, and gathering to not exceed 5,000 protesters.

  3. The gathering, scheduled from 11 am to 2 pm, aims to “intensify the fight against government’s policies”, focusing on issues like MSP and implementing the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.

  4. Today’s protest will be led by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmers’ organisations that had also spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers’ protest against the three central agri laws.

  5. SKM said they plan to pass a resolution, ‘Sankalp Patra,’ outlining strategies against pro-corporate policies and announcing future actions, especially in the context of the upcoming general elections.

  6. Police have issued an advisory as traffic may be affected in various parts of Delhi and surrounding areas.

  7. According to a Delhi Traffic Police statement, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Barakhamba Road, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, Tolstoy Marg, Asaf Ali Road, Jai Singh Road, Swami Vivekanand Marg, Sansad Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg, Baba Kharag Singh Marg, Minto Road, Ashoka Road, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh flyover, Connaught Circus, Bhavbhuti Marg, DDU Marg and Chaman Lal Marg are likely to be affected due to the farmers gathering in Delhi.

  8. The farmers from Punjab, arrived at the Delhi borders on February 13, seeking to conduct a peaceful demonstration at the Ramlila Maidan. They were then denied permission and stopped at the Punjab-Haryana border by cops. Water cannons and tear gas were used during a face-off between the farmers and the security personnel.

  9. The farmers began their march with trollies filled with ration to last for months, asserting they wouldn’t return until their demands were fulfilled. The police had erected nails and concrete blocks on the roads to stop their vehicles from entering Delhi.

  10. The protesting farmers have rejected the Centre’s proposal that government agencies will procure pulses, maize, and cotton at Minimum Security Price (MSP) for five years. Besides a legal guarantee for the MSP, their other demands include a farm loan waiver and the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee recommendations.

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