The BKU leader said the protest would extend till October 2 and that the centre had till that date to repeal the laws.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, as nationwide Chakka Jam announced by protesting farmers ended on Saturday afternoon, said farmers will not return home till their demands are met, and will not be pressured into holding talks with the centre. The remarks by Mr Tikait came as the three-hour chakka jam (blocking) of state and national highways passed peacefully.
The BKU leader, addressing farmers gathered at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, said the protest would extend till October 2 and that the centre had till that date to repeal the laws, failing which the farmer groups agitating against the laws would plan further protests.
“We won’t return home unless our demands are met,” Mr Tikait said.
“We have given time to the government till October 2 to repeal the laws. After this, we will do further planning. We won’t hold discussions with the government under pressure,” he further added.
The three hours Chakka Jam called by farmers protesting against the centre’s new farm laws started with a high alert in Delhi today. The Chakka Jam saw the blockade of national and state highways by protesting farmers.
Before the planned Chakka Jam by farmers began, the entry and exit points of Delhi’s Lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Janpath and Central Secretariat metro stations. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also announced the closing of 10 metro stations in the National Capital so far. The gates of Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, and Vishwavidyalaya stations were also sealed earlier today.
The highway at Haryana’s Palwal was blocked by farmers.
The Jam began by farmers blocking a number of roads and national highways across the country. In Haryana, protesters blocked the national highway near the Shahjahanpur border (Rajasthan-Haryana). As part of the nationwide Chakka Jam, similar scenes played out in Ludhiana and Nashik too.
The Chakka Jam protests also commenced in Punjab with several farmers blocking the Lehragaga-Jakhal highway in Sangrur district.
Bengaluru Police detained a group of protesters who were agitating against the Centre’s farm laws outside the Yelahanka Police Station as part of the nationwide protests.
As protesting farmers blocked their way during the ongoing Jam, vehicles began lining up along the Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway near the Sutlej bridge.
Farmer groups in Jammu staged a protest along the Jammu-Pathankot highway as part of the nationwide ‘chakka jam’ called by farmers today, ANI reported. ‘We appeal to the government to repeal these laws. We support the farmers protesting on the borders of Delhi,’ a protestor said.
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