New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday clarified that no anti-national element is roaming along with farmers and has asked the central intelligence agencies to grill such kind of people if they found any.
Asked if `anti-national elements` got involved in ongoing farmers` agitation, the leader said, “Central intelligence should catch them. If people of a banned organisation are roaming amid us, put them behind bars. We have not found any such person here, if we do we will send them away.”
Farmers protesting at the Delhi-Gazipur border have started marching towards Delhi. “With this march, we want to give a message to the government to listen to our issues,” added Tikait.
The farmers` protest has entered the 17th day today. The Delhi Police on Saturday increased deployment of personnel and placed more concrete barriers at various border points as farmers have announced that they will intensify their protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, with plans to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway and the Yumuna Expressway.
There is no protest yet on Delhi’s borders with Gurgaon and at other points of National Highway-8 that connects the national capital with Jaipur, a senior police officer said.
“So far, there is no protest at Delhi-Gurgaon border. There is no disruption in traffic movement. However, we have proper security arrangements in place to deal with any situation,” the officer said.
Taking to Twitter, social activist Yogendra Yadav, who is part of the ongoing protests, said farmers from areas in Rajasthan and Haryana are assembling on Saturday and their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march would begin on Sunday.
“Farmers’ ‘Delhi march’ on Jaipur-Delhi highway will not start today and it will begin from Shahjahanpur border tomorrow. Today, farmers from Rajasthan and Haryana will congregate in Kotputli and Behror,” Yadav tweeted in Hindi.
The increase in security arrangement comes amid thousands of farmers protesting at various areas on Delhi’s borders for the last 16 days and demanding that the legislations be withdrawn.
The police have made adequate arrangements, and these include multi-layered barricading and deployment of personnel. Measures have also been taken to ensure commuters do not face inconvenience at places were protest are being staged, another senior police officer said.
The Delhi Traffic Police has deployed its personnel across important border points to ensure commuters do not face difficulties and is constantly updating people about open and closed routes on its Twitter handle.
The developments come after farmer leaders on Wednesday rejected a government proposal to amend the new farm laws and announced they would intensify their agitation by blocking the Jaipur-Delhi and the Yamuna expressway by Saturday.
In a tweet, the traffic police on Saturday informed commuters about the closure of the Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari and Mangesh borders. Since these borders are closed, it suggested that motorists take alternative routes via Lampur, Safiabad, Saboli and Singhu School toll tax borders.
Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba and GTK Road. So, commuters have been advised to avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road and National Highway-44, the traffic police said.
Due to the ongoing farmers’ protests, it said that both the Chilla and the Ghazipur borders are also closed for traffic from Noida and Ghaziabad. The Tikri and the Dhansa borders are also closed for traffic movement but the Jhatikara border is open only for two-wheelers and pedestrian movement, the traffic police said in a tweet.
Those going towards Haryana can take Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders as they are open, the traffic police said.
The government had asked farmer groups to consider its proposals for amending the laws to address their concerns and said it was open to discussing its offer further whenever the unions want.
Farmers leaders had on Thursday also announced they would block railway tracks across the country if their demands were not met by the government and would announce a date for that soon.
At least five rounds of formal talks have taken place between the Centre and representatives of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, protesting on various borders of the national capital for over two weeks, but the deadlock has continued with the unions sticking to their main demand for the repeal of the three contentious laws.
The sixth round of talks between the government and farm union leaders, which was scheduled for Wednesday morning, was cancelled. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has appealed to the protesters to stop the agitation while the agitation is still going on.
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