Farmers Block Delhi-Amritsar, Karnataka-Tamil Nadu Highways in Protest; Rahul Gandhi Says New Laws ‘Will Enslave Farmers’

September 25, 2020

Several farmers’ organisations, including from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have called a national shutdown on Friday as they intensify their protest against the contentious farm bills passed by Parliament earlier this week.
Protesting farmer organisations have blocked the Delhi-Amritsar highway, and huge traffic jams have also been reported from Ayodhya-Lucknow highway.
With both the ruling Congress and opposition AAP as well as NDA ally SAD supportive of the farmers’ agenda, Punjab and Haryana are likely to see a total shutdown.
Farmers in Punjab have already started a three-day rail blockade against the bills, squatting on tracks at many places on Thursday. The farmer outfits have also decided to call an indefinite rail blockade from October 1.
Amarinder Singh said the state government was fully with the farmers in their fight against the bills and no FIRs would be registered for violation of Section 144, which bars assembly of more than four people.
“The party will protest against farm sector and labour reform bills which hurt the interest of farmers and workers. During the state-wide protests, a memoranda will be sent to the governor through respective DMs”, party chief spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said on Thursday.

As many as 31 farmer organisations have joined hands for the ‘Punjab Bandh’ on Friday. Several organisations in Haryana, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said they have extended support to the nationwide strike. A number of farmers’ groups said they will hold a “chakka jam” from 10am to 4pm on Friday.

The Congress on Thursday supported the ‘Bharat Bandh’ call given by farmer organisations for Friday, saying millions of party workers stand in solidarity with the farmers’ cause and will participate in their dharnas.
Chief party spokesperson Randeep Sujewala said that while farmers and farm labourers fill the stomachs of countrymen with their hard labour, the Modi government is attacking them and their fields.
The Samajwadi Party will organise a state-wide protest against farm sector and labour reform bills on Friday that they term as “harmful” and submit memoranda to the Governor through respective district magistrates.
Though many of the protesters have said that they will protest in their own areas and not aim to head to Delhi, Delhi Police are on high alert and have made preparations to seal the border with Haryana, in a bid to forestall any such attempt.