Farmer leaders meet Ambala police, promise peaceful Delhi march

Tribune News Service

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Ambala, December 2

A group of farmer leaders today held a meeting with the Ambala police regarding their call for Delhi march on December 6 and assured them of holding a peaceful march.

However, the government has to take a call on giving the passage to farmers, who said they were hopeful of getting a positive response. Farmers have been holding a protest at the inter-state Shambhu border since February. The border has been closed since then due to the stalemate between farmers and the government.

Tried to remove doubts

The Ambala SP had invited us to know about our plan for the Delhi march. We have shared the details with him. We have no plan to block the highway. We have tried to remove their doubts.

Amarjeet Singh Mohri, BKU (SBS) president

Farmer leaders today met Ambala SP Surinder Singh Bhoria here and apprised him of their plans for the Delhi march. After the meeting, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said: “The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere. We have apprised the SP about the programme prepared by the unions and assured him that there will be no disruption of traffic on the highway due to the march. We will move peacefully in groups. There will be no traffic blockade due to farmers on the highway and even during the night stay there will be no traffic disturbance. There is no proposal to hold any protest against the Prime Minister during his event in Panipat.”

“The removal of barricades from the Shambhu border will be beneficial for all. The morcha will stay at Shambhu and will be shifted after we get the next location in Delhi or at Singhu border. We have decided to set up the morcha in a manner that it continues peacefully and the traffic is also not disturbed. Senior officials are likely to hold a meeting on Tuesday to take a call and I am hopeful that they will take a positive decision," he added.

“I feel that misunderstanding with the administration of Haryana and Delhi is the prime reason behind the current situation. If the administration gets the confidence of a peaceful protest, it may even allow us to take tractor trailers too in future. The farmers will start a foot march from the Shambhu border,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) president Amarjeet Singh Mohri, who also attended the meeting, said: “The Ambala SP had invited us to know about our plan for the Delhi march and we have shared the details with him. We have no plan to block the highway. We have apprised the administration that we will organise peaceful march and we have tried to remove their doubts.”

The Ambala SP said: “We held a coordination meeting with farmers to know about their plans about the march, route plan, stay, gathering and traffic management. There has been no decision at our end so far. A couple of more meetings will be held in the coming days with farmers. We have appealed to them to cooperate with the police in maintaining law and order.”

Earlier, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said: “The BJP government has been procuring crops at a minimum support price (MSP). The farmers should stage dharnas in Punjab and Congress-ruled states where they are not getting the MSP. The Congress spread lies that the MSP will be discontinued but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been increasing it every year.”

However, Pandher said: “Our demands are related to the Centre. We have no dispute with the Haryana Government. Even in Haryana farmers faced difficulties in paddy procurement. Like other people we want to go to Delhi peacefully, and there should be no objection.”