Farmer unions say they will go ahead with tractor march in Delhi on Republic Day
New Delhi: Farmer unions protesting against the Centre's agri laws said on Sunday that they will go ahead with their proposed tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day.
Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, union leader Yogendra Yadav said, "We will carry out a tractor parade on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day. The parade will be very peaceful. There will be no disruption of the Republic Day parade. The farmers will put up the national flag on their tractors."
The authorities had moved the Supreme Court seeking an injunction against the proposed tractor march or any other kind of protest by farmers which seeks to disrupt the gathering and celebrations of Republic Day on January 26. The matter is pending in court.
Another farmer union leader, Darshan Pal Singh, alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is filing cases against those who are part of the protest or supporting it.
"All farmer unions condemn this," Pal said, referring to the NIA summons reportedly issued to a farmer union leader in a case related to the banned Sikhs For Justice outfit.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now demanding repeal of the three laws -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.
Enacted in September 2020, the central government has presented these laws as major farm reforms aimed at increasing farmers' income, but the protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the minimum support price (MSP) and "mandi" (wholesale market) systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.
The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out a repeal of the laws.
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New Delhi, May 20: Days after snubbing him for questioning TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's trustworthiness, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge heaped praise on the party's West Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday, lauding him as a "ladaku sipahi" (combative soldier) of the grand old party.
Kharge snubbed Chowdhury, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur in West Bengal, last week for his remarks that Banerjee cannot be trusted and that she might also go with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Woh hamarey ladaku sipahi hain (he is our combative solider)," Kharge said on Monday about Chowdhury, who has only intensified his offensive against Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister, by alleging that she has used violence to crush the Congress in the state and has been helping the BJP.
Asked if the Congress is making the same mistake with Chowdhury as it had made with Banerjee in 1998, when she quit the party to float her own outfit protesting against its coyness in the face of Left "atrocities" on its cadre in West Bengal, Kharge told PTI, "I do not want to speak about an individual. He (Chowdhury) is a combative soldier of the Congress party and is our leader in West Bengal."
He said some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders are now trying to rake up the issue of the Congress's alliance with the Left but it will not work.
"They are trying to present it differently. But it will not happen like this as the Congress party is strong and understands each other. What has happened in West Bengal is that the Congress high command has taken a decision to have a coalition with the Left and we are moving forward with that," Kharge said.
The TMC is contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls on its own in the state, while the Congress and the Left are jointly fighting the election.
Kharge on Saturday dismissed Chowdhury's criticism of Banerjee while addressing a joint press conference with Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.
"Mamata Banerjee is with the (INDI) alliance. She has recently said she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command, and those who do not agree will go out," Kharge said in remarks that riled Chowdhury's supporters in Bengal.
Reacting to Kharge's comments, Chowdhury said, "I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me and our party in Bengal politically. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. I do not want the state Congress to be used for her (Banerjee's) personal agenda."
After Kharge's remarks, several posters and hoardings of the Congress president were defaced with ink in front of the state Congress headquarters in Kolkata on Sunday.
The Congress has issued a stern warning to those indulging in anti-party activities in West Bengal and asked its state unit to submit a report on the hoardings vandalised outside the party office in Kolkata.
Taking serious note of such acts, AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal has said the party would not tolerate such "gross indiscipline".
"We are taking very serious note of such grave anti-party activities. The Indian National Congress shall not tolerate such public display of defiance and indiscipline. The general secretary in-charge of West Bengal is directed to immediately submit a factual report on these acts of gross indiscipline," Venugopal said in a statement.
He said it has been brought to the party high command's notice that a few office-bearers and workers of the party have made certain uncharitable remarks against Kharge in the media as well as on social media.
"Acts of vandalising hoardings outside the WBPCC office have also been carried out by certain miscreants. This has hurt the sentiments of millions of party workers and supporters," Venugopal said.
Unidentified people also wrote "agent of Trinamool Congress" on Kharge's posters and hoardings in Kolkata.
Chowdhury has expressed displeasure over the incident and asked party workers to get a police complaint lodged.
Banerjee, who had initially said she will extend outside support to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties if it comes to power, has subsequently said she is very much part of the anti-BJP coalition at the national level and would form the next government at the Centre with it.
However, the West Bengal chief minister has also alleged that the state units of both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress, who are part of the alliance, have joined hands and helped the BJP in the state.
The TMC walked out of the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January.
