A day after After the Cockroach Janta Party protests rocked the streets of Delhi, farmers from Punjab and Haryana are now marching in the national capital demanding their own demands, adding to the headache of the authorities.
A Kisan Mahapanchayat, under the banner of ‘Desh Bachao Morcha’, is scheduled to be held against the proposed Indo-US trade deal, in Delhi Kisan Ghat on Tuesday. Farmer leaders had earlier said that participants from several places, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, will attend the mahapanchayat.
Two groups of farmers, one from Haryana and the other from Punjab, are making their way towards Delhi. However, the Punjab group was stopped by the police at the Shambhu border. A siege was also imposed on Khanauri.
Sambhu and Kanauri are entry points into Haryana from Punjab. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNS are in force at both the places.
Two companies of RAF and one company of Haryana Police were deployed at the Panipat toll plaza on NH-44 to stop a group of Haryana farmers, who had started a foot march to Delhi from Karnal.
What are the demands of the farmers marching to Delhi?
Farmer organizations, including the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, say allowing cheaper agricultural imports from the United States could severely impact Indian farmers, agricultural workers, ranchers and small traders.
They fear that heavily subsidized US farm products will flood the Indian market, depressing domestic crop prices and hurting rural incomes. Their fear is that Indian farmers, who receive much less government support than their American counterparts, will find it difficult to compete.
According to the protesting unions, the proposed agreement could extend beyond a few agricultural commodities and eventually cover dairy products, industry, digital commerce, e-commerce, government procurement, intellectual property rights and services.
The unions urged the Center to scrap the proposed Indo-US trade agreement and protect the interests of farmers and common citizens.
However, the Center stressed that it will not compromise on India’s agricultural interests and that sensitive agricultural products have been excluded from the negotiations.
Opposition to the agreement has increased over the past few months. Farmer groups in Punjab held motorcycle rallies, while thousands of farmers across the country last month burned symbolic copies of the proposed trade agreement, claiming it would weaken India’s agricultural sector.
Government position
Union government officials emphasized that India will not sacrifice its core agricultural interests to conclude the trade agreement. The government also stressed that guarantees would be included in any final agreement to protect local farmers.
Federal Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal had previously said that India will not implement any agreement unless it ensures benefits for the country and its stakeholders.
The government’s position was that the proposed deal should create opportunities for businesses, farmers, workers and consumers without compromising India’s core interests.
