Farmers' Protest: Amidst the ongoing farmers' protest at the Punjab-Haryana border, disruptions in fuel supply have been reported, with fifty per cent less diesel and twenty per cent less petrol dispatched to Punjab, news agency ANI reported citing government sources on Tuesday.
The protest, organised by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, is led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher. The farmers have presented 12 demands to the central government as they march towards Delhi.
Among their demands, the farmers are calling for a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, based on the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report.
They are also seeking a complete debt waiver, a pension scheme for farmers and farm labourers, the scrapping of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020, and the reintroduction of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 with provisions for farmer consent and compensation at four times the collector rate.
Additionally, the protestors are demanding justice for those involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings, 200 days of employment per year with a daily wage of Rs 700 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) linked to farming, compensation for the families of farmers who died during the 2021 protests, and job opportunities for family members.
Chaos ensued at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana as police attempted to prevent protestors from entering the national capital. Visuals from the scene showed farmers fleeing towards nearby farmland as police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Concrete slabs, iron nails, barricades, and police and paramilitary personnel were stationed at various points along the border.
Addressing the widespread concerns, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait told ANI: "MSP guarantee law and Swaminathan Committee report, Electricity amendment bill and debt waiver are the issues of the farmers across the country. There are several farmer unions and they have different issues. If the government creates a problem for these farmers who are marching towards Delhi, we are not far from them. We are in support of them".