With singing, dancing and cheering, farmers on Saturday headed back to their homes in Punjab and Haryana from Delhi borders on their tractor-trolleys after dismantling their tents and other structures at the end of a year-long sit-in against the government’s farm laws.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced repealing the farm laws and later a law was passed in the parliament to repeal the three farm laws. The three laws were the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020; and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.
Start of protest
The protests had started beginning in September, with the farmers in Punjab calling a three-day ‘rail roko’ agitation against the bills. After many sporadic protests, thousands of farmers, on November 25, from Punjab and Haryana marched towards Delhi demanding a complete repeal of the legislation. However, the police officials stopped them at Delhi borders- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders. The SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farm unions, led the protest.
The farmers then blocked the major highways connecting Delhi, putting forward their demands. The government invited the farmers union to sit and talk over the laws.
On November 28, Home Minister Amit Shah offers to hold talks with farmers as soon as they vacate Delhi borders and move to the designated protest site in Burari. However, farmers reject his offer, demanding to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar.
Negotiations with the government
The government said that its ready to talk with the farmers. There were several rounds of talks with the farm unions, however, it didn’t reach any conclusion. The farmers were adamant at repealing all the three farm laws while the government appealed to the farmers to reconsider their demands.
After seventh round of talks between government and farmer leaders in Janurary, it remained inconclusive with the Centre not agreeing to repeal the farm laws. Another round of talks started, but failed to end the deadlock.
Violent turn on Jan 26
On Republic Day, farmers had given a call for tractor parade in Delhi, while the police officials had denied them any authorisation for the parade. Thousands of protesting farmers clashed with the police during the rally and there were visuals of violent attack on the police. Many farmers and police personnel were injured.
A section of protesters climbed the walls of the iconic Red Fort and hoisted the Nishan Sahib flag. One protester reportedly died in the chaos.
Due to the violence, there was a dent in the image of protesting farmers and it seemed as it the movement will wither away. The administration in UP’s Ghaziabad district bordering Delhi issued an order for protesting farmers to vacate the site by night. By evening, police had gathered in anti-riot gear to empty the side. However, farmers leader including BKU’s Rakesh Tikait refused to give up.
PROTEST ENDS
Subsequently, after around 380 days of protest, the farmers have started to head back to their homes as the centre has agreed to their demands.
Emotions ran high as the farmers performed ‘ardas’ (prayers) and ‘havan’ to thank the almighty and started their “victory march” from Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur protest sites to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in convoys of tractors, bedecked with colourful flowers and lights and blaring songs of jubilation. Farmer leaders said that they will again meet on January 15 to see if the government has fulfilled their demands.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said farmers will fully vacate their protest site on the Delhi border near Ghaziabad by December 15 as their first group left for Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. A large portion of the Ghazipur border would be vacated on Sunday, though it will be fully vacated by December 15, he said. Tikait said he will be returning home after seeing off all farmers.
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