We stand vindicated say farm unions as cops begin removing barricades at farmers protest sites
New Delhi Oct 29 PTI With the Delhi Police beginning to remove barricades at two farmer protest sites — Tikri and Ghazipur — farm union leaders on Friday said the move vindicates their stand that they never blocked roads at the city border pointsIn a statement the Samyukt Kisan Morcha an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions spearheading the anti-farm law agitation said the partial removal of barricades is being done by the police to impress the Supreme Court of IndiaFarmer leaders said any decision to entirely clear both the carriageways at the protest sites will be taken by the SKMThey however said way will be made for traffic to move in the coming daysThe Delhi Polices decision comes days after a Supreme Court hearing that saw farmer unions arguing that the police were responsible for the blockade at the citys bordersBhartiya Kisan Union BKU office-bearers said the police and not the farmers had blocked roads adding that they are being reopened on the directions of the Supreme CourtIn light of the removal of barricades at the Ghazipur border protest site BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said The future course of the ongoing farmers protest would be decided by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha which is leading the movement against the three farm laws Senior farmer leader and SKM member Darshan Pal said false allegations were being levelled against farmers that they have blocked roads which have been rejected by us since day onePal said at Singhu border farmers have occupied the portion of road which is already closed for traffic due to construction of a flyoverNow the exercise of removal of barricades by the police clearly proves our point that it was the police that have blocked roads and not the farmers We never created any problem Any bottleneck from our side will also be cleared for traffic movement Pal told PTIAny decision to entirely clear both carriageways of roads or march towards Delhi will be taken by the SKM he addedSo far there is no call to go to Delhi Any future course of action will be decided in a meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha Pal saidThousands of farmers have been camping at the three borders points — Tikri Singhu and Ghazipur — protesting the Centres three farm laws since November 26 last yearWhile the protesting farmers have been claiming that the three laws enacted last year are against their interest the Centre has been saying these legislations are pro-farmerThe Delhi Police on Thursday evening started removing the barricades and concertina wires it had put in place at the anti-farm laws protest site at Tikri Border on Delhi-Rohtak highway Similar action was initiated at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on Friday morningLater in a statement the SKM said traffic movement was allowed by the protestors in the past and will be done so now tooIn the latest narrative that they are seeking to spin partial removal of these barricades is being taken up ostensibly to impress the Supreme Court of India SKM takes note of these development and is watching the manoeuvres of the BJP government the SKM said in the statementSKM leaders have also said that the protesting farmers stand vindicated – it is the police who have barricaded and blocked the roads and not the farmers and this is something that the farmers have explained in the past too it added Farmer leader and a representative of Rastriya Kisan Majdoor Sabha Abhimanyu Kohar said the decision to remove barricades has vindicated the farmers stand and will ease traffic movement at the bordersFor the last 11 months we have been saying that farmers never blocked roads as we are simply protesting the farm laws Today we are proved right It is good that traffic will now be able to move at borders Kohar saidAnother farmer leader at Tikri Border and a member of SKM Sudesh Goyat accused the Delhi Police of obstructing vehicular movementIn February protesting farmers at Tikri Border cleared the way for an ambulance but it had to return as the Delhi Police had blocked the road she claimedWe are happy that roadblocks are being removed and now traffic will be able to move It will also help in reviving economy here as petrol pumps shops which are shut for 11 months due to road closure will now start functioning again Goyat saidFarmer leaders also hoped that the Centre would invite farmers for a dialogue to break the logjam over the farm lawsBKU spokesperson Saurabh Upadhyay said farmers want to go to Delhi but the SKM will take the final callIf the government wants the logjam to end it should talk to the farmers now and we are ready for it But if it wants the farmers movement to continue we are determined to prolong it as it has already been 11 months since the protests began Upadhyay told PTIOn October 21 the Supreme Court had said farmers have the right to protest and was not against this even when a legal challenge against the three farm laws is pending but they cannot block roads indefinitely an observation that came amid a blame game between the Centre and the farmer unionsWhile the farmers unions alleged that the police were responsible for the blockade at the Delhi borders as it suits them to allow a feeling in the minds of the citizens that farmers are blocking the road the Centre claimed there was an oblique purpose behind the protests PTI AKM KIS BUN TDS TDS
New Delhi Oct 29 PTI With the Delhi Police beginning to remove barricades at two farmer protest sites — Tikri and Ghazipur — farm union leaders on Friday said the move vindicates their stand that they never blocked roads at the city border pointsIn a statement the Samyukt Kisan Morcha an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions spearheading the anti-farm law agitation said the partial removal of barricades is being done by the police to impress the Supreme Court of IndiaFarmer leaders said any decision to entirely clear both the carriageways at the protest sites will be taken by the SKMThey however said way will be made for traffic to move in the coming daysThe Delhi Polices decision comes days after a Supreme Court hearing that saw farmer unions arguing that the police were responsible for the blockade at the citys bordersBhartiya Kisan Union BKU office-bearers said the police and not the farmers had blocked roads adding that they are being reopened on the directions of the Supreme CourtIn light of the removal of barricades at the Ghazipur border protest site BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said The future course of the ongoing farmers protest would be decided by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha which is leading the movement against the three farm laws Senior farmer leader and SKM member Darshan Pal said false allegations were being levelled against farmers that they have blocked roads which have been rejected by us since day onePal said at Singhu border farmers have occupied the portion of road which is already closed for traffic due to construction of a flyoverNow the exercise of removal of barricades by the police clearly proves our point that it was the police that have blocked roads and not the farmers We never created any problem Any bottleneck from our side will also be cleared for traffic movement Pal told PTIAny decision to entirely clear both carriageways of roads or march towards Delhi will be taken by the SKM he addedSo far there is no call to go to Delhi Any future course of action will be decided in a meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha Pal saidThousands of farmers have been camping at the three borders points — Tikri Singhu and Ghazipur — protesting the Centres three farm laws since November 26 last yearWhile the protesting farmers have been claiming that the three laws enacted last year are against their interest the Centre has been saying these legislations are pro-farmerThe Delhi Police on Thursday evening started removing the barricades and concertina wires it had put in place at the anti-farm laws protest site at Tikri Border on Delhi-Rohtak highway Similar action was initiated at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on Friday morningLater in a statement the SKM said traffic movement was allowed by the protestors in the past and will be done so now tooIn the latest narrative that they are seeking to spin partial removal of these barricades is being taken up ostensibly to impress the Supreme Court of India SKM takes note of these development and is watching the manoeuvres of the BJP government the SKM said in the statementSKM leaders have also said that the protesting farmers stand vindicated – it is the police who have barricaded and blocked the roads and not the farmers and this is something that the farmers have explained in the past too it added Farmer leader and a representative of Rastriya Kisan Majdoor Sabha Abhimanyu Kohar said the decision to remove barricades has vindicated the farmers stand and will ease traffic movement at the bordersFor the last 11 months we have been saying that farmers never blocked roads as we are simply protesting the farm laws Today we are proved right It is good that traffic will now be able to move at borders Kohar saidAnother farmer leader at Tikri Border and a member of SKM Sudesh Goyat accused the Delhi Police of obstructing vehicular movementIn February protesting farmers at Tikri Border cleared the way for an ambulance but it had to return as the Delhi Police had blocked the road she claimedWe are happy that roadblocks are being removed and now traffic will be able to move It will also help in reviving economy here as petrol pumps shops which are shut for 11 months due to road closure will now start functioning again Goyat saidFarmer leaders also hoped that the Centre would invite farmers for a dialogue to break the logjam over the farm lawsBKU spokesperson Saurabh Upadhyay said farmers want to go to Delhi but the SKM will take the final callIf the government wants the logjam to end it should talk to the farmers now and we are ready for it But if it wants the farmers movement to continue we are determined to prolong it as it has already been 11 months since the protests began Upadhyay told PTIOn October 21 the Supreme Court had said farmers have the right to protest and was not against this even when a legal challenge against the three farm laws is pending but they cannot block roads indefinitely an observation that came amid a blame game between the Centre and the farmer unionsWhile the farmers unions alleged that the police were responsible for the blockade at the Delhi borders as it suits them to allow a feeling in the minds of the citizens that farmers are blocking the road the Centre claimed there was an oblique purpose behind the protests PTI AKM KIS BUN TDS TDS
