Farmers protest: Protesters won't budge from Delhi's borders till Centre repeals farm laws, says Charuni after mahapanchayat

Kurukshetra, September 22

Haryana BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni on Wednesday said the farmers sitting at Delhi's borders will not budge till three contentious farm laws of the Centre are repealed.

No matter how much pressure may be put by the government, the farmers will not even move an inch on the Haryana-Delhi border till the laws are scrapped, he said.

"Stop dreaming of opening the borders," Charuni told the government while addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Kurukshetra's Ismailabad, adjoining Punjab's Patiala district.

Farmer leader Ravi Azad said the roads of Delhi will not be opened till the three farm laws are scrapped.

The Haryana government formed a high-powered committee earlier this month to hold talks with the protesting farm union leaders over the clearing of blockade on National Highway-44 at the Kundli-Singhu border. However, the farm union leaders did not attend the meeting called by the district administration at Sonipat last week.

Speaking about the farm union leaders not attending the meeting, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said in Chandigarh that the Supreme Court will be apprised of the development.

He said the Union home minister has also been informed about it.

Vij said an affidavit has been filed in the apex court regarding the efforts being made by the government as regards the present situation of road blockade.

The farmers had earlier said they did not go for the meeting in Sonipat as they were not responsible for the blockades and the government was allegedly misinterpreting the apex court order and dragging the agitating farmers to be a party to the ongoing petition.

The Haryana government had formed the committee a week ago, a day after Sonipat Deputy Commissioner Lalit Siwach held a meeting with farmers' representatives over the blockade.

An official statement issued last week said while taking up a writ petition, the Supreme Court had asked the Sonepat district administration to provide a way to the common people in public interest.

In compliance with these orders, Siwach had held the meeting with the farmers' representatives in Sonepat last Tuesday.

The court had last month said the Centre and the neighbouring states of Delhi should find a solution to the road blockades at the borders of the national capital.

Meanwhile, the "mahapanchayat" resolved to continue the ongoing peasants' agitation till the three farm laws are repealed.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and elsewhere have been sitting at Delhi's borders for nearly 10 months demanding a repeal of the farm laws.

Despite inclement weather, a large number of farmers from the adjoining districts, including Kurukshetra, attended the "mahapanchayat" organised at the grain market of Ismailabad.

Addressing the event, Charuni said during the agitation, cases have been registered against a large number of farmers in Haryana.

The police are sending summonses to the farmers, he said and asked the farmers not to accept any summons and not even go to the police station when called.

The "mahapanchayat" also gave a call to make the "Bharat Bandh" called by the protesting farm unions on September 27 successful. — PTI

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