Farmers postpone Feb 1 march to Parliament

New Delhi: Even as Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava on Wednesday evening said that farmer leaders had "betrayed" the police's trust and failed to follow terms of the rally as agreed upon, farmer leaders of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha asserted that the Union government had been "severely shaken" by their agitation and therefore "a dirty conspiracy was hatched with Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee" to derail their movement.

The farmer leaders said the KMSC and others were part of the conspiracy against the peaceful struggle of other farmer organisations, who had set up their own separate protest site 15 days after the farmers' agitation began. "They were not part of the organisations which jointly undertook the struggle," the SKM statement said.

However, later in the night, as the Delhi Police Commissioner was announcing that his force would take strict action against those involved in the violence on Republic Day, the farmer leaders, after marathon meetings within themselves, announced that they would be postponing their proposed February 1 march to Parliament. Another sign of farmers going on the backfoot came when two farmers' unions that have also been protesting against the three farm laws formally withdrew their support to the border protests after the violence. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and the Bharat Kisan Union (Bhanu) said they cannot be part of the protests any longer.

However, the AIKSCC was never one of the unions part of the talks with the Centre so far.

In neighbouring Haryana, INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala tendered his resignation in protest over the farm laws, which was accepted by the Speaker.

But the farmer leaders maintained that "antisocial" elements like actor Deep Sidhu attempted to "torpedo" their peaceful agitation that they won't allow "the government and other forces inimical to the peaceful movement to break this struggle".

Slogans of "Deep Sidhu murdabad" were raised from the Singhu border protest stage all throughout the day as a video of him admitting to being part of the mob that went to Red Fort and hoisted the Nishan Sahib flags emerged.

"Under this conspiracy, the said Kisan organisation and other persons announced that they would march on Ring Road and unfurl a flag on the Red Fort.

As a corollary of conspiracy, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee started marching on the Ring Road, two hours before the scheduled march of the struggling organisations. It was a deep-rooted conspiracy to knock down the peaceful and strong farmers' struggle," the SKM said.

The farmers' union body appealed to the growers to stay on the protest venues and continue their struggle peacefully.

"We will not allow the government and other forces inimical to the peaceful movement to break this struggle. Tuesday's events exposed and isolated the anti-farmer forces clearly. An emergency meeting of 32 organisations is called today to chalk out the future programme," it added.

As for next steps for the farmers' agitation, in their evening presser, the farmers said that they will continue sitting at the borders and hold jan-sabhas to bring the truth about the farm laws and the government to the people. The farmers also announced a countrywide hunger strike on January 30.

"The rally fell prey to government conspiracy. Despite attempts to break it, 99.9% farmers were peaceful. Some incidents took place. Government put Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee members in front of the blockade put for us and there was no blockade for them," farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said, who has been named along with other farmer leaders in cases registered with respect to the violence.

In the 25 FIRs registered so far, many prominent leaders such as Yogendra Yadav and activist Medha Patkar have also been named for inciting violence. The Delhi Police have arrested 19 people so far and detained about 50 others.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Union Home minister Amit Shah took stock of the security in the Capital and chaired another meeting with Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, senior officials of the ministry and the Delhi Police.