Sun 13 December 2020:
The Delhi-Jaipur highway has been partially opened after a three-hour closure that started as farmers began a tractor march from Shahjahanpur on the Rajasthan-Haryana border as part of their escalating 18-day protest against the Centre’s contentious farm laws.
A highway was opened as farmers removed blockade from the Delhi-Noida border at Chilla. Thousands of farmers on way to Delhi, meanwhile, reached the Rewari border of Haryana, where the police blocked both sides of the Delhi-Jaipur highway to stop them from entering the state.
A nationwide protest has been planned for tomorrow against the laws which farmers say will shrink their income and give private firms the upper hand in purchase of produce.
The farmers’ march from Rajasthan had started in the morning from Shahjahanpur, which is around 120 km from Delhi. The group of 800-900 are being led by Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav. Social activist Medha Patkar is also accompanying the group.
Visuals showed farmers carrying placards and shouting slogans as they walked slowly down the highway. Tractors pulling tarpaulin-covered trailers, and flanked by cars with banners waved out of the windows, were also seen.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said he will hold a fast tomorrow in solidarity with the protesting farmers and appealed to others to do the same. “The BJP leaders and some Union ministers are repeatedly saying the farmers are anti-nationals.
I want to ask them — thousands of retired soldiers are sitting at the borders with the farmers. Are they anti-nationals? The sportspersons who represented India abroad and returned their medals… are they anti-nationals?” he said in a video address.
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