Farmers seek Delhi march as Haryana blocks route at Khanauri

Jind: Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur chief Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday night appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Haryana government to allow farmers protesting against the interim India-US trade deal to proceed towards Delhi, saying that they plan to peacefully march on foot in limited numbers.

A group of farmers marching towards Delhi in protest laid out their bedding on the road and prepared to spend the night at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana.

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Haryana Police heavily barricaded the Khanauri checkpoint to block a fresh farmers' march to Delhi.

"It is well past midnight now. You can see farmers sleeping on the roadside; only a small number of them have arrived here so far," Dallewal said.

"Our organisation, our non-political group, has the capacity to bring thousands of farmers here. However, we plan to proceed peacefully with a limited number of people, on foot," he added.

Dallewal said the farmers had set out on foot but were prevented from moving forward and were now stranded at the location.

"We have no conflict with the Haryana government. I would like to appeal to the Haryana government and the Prime Minister of India: please let us proceed," he said.

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He stated that farmers' demands also included a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), farm loan waivers, and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report.

"The trade deal is a very significant issue. Securing a law guaranteeing MSP for farmers is crucial. Debt waivers for farmers and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report are also key demands," he said.

Further, he also asked for legal intervention from courts to resolve the issue.

The farmer leader said, "The government needs to act on these demands... PM Modi should try to understand their suffering and pain. Secondly, the Punjab and Haryana High Court could take cognisance of this matter. The Supreme Court can take cognisance of this matter and pave the way forward."