We will block Delhi from 5 main entry points: Farmers' union

New Delhi: Amid raging protests across Delhi, Punjab farmers on Sunday evening gave a press statement on their response to Home Minister Amit Shah’s ‘conditional’ accord for a meeting to listen to their grievances against Centre’s contentious farm laws. Kisan Unions vehemently rejected Centre’s offer to move to the “open jail” in Delhi’s Burari ground and asserted that they will block all five entry points to the national capital.

“Instead of going to open jail in Burari, we’ve decided that we will gherao Delhi by blocking 5 main entry points to Delhi. We’ve got four months ration with us, so nothing to worry about. Our Operations Committee will decide everything,” said Surjeet S Phul, President, BKU Krantikari.

“We’ve decided that we’ll never go to Burari Park as we got proof that it’s an open jail. Delhi Police told Uttarakhand Farmer Association President that they’ll take them to Jantar Mantar but instead locked them at Burari Park,” he added.

Speaking on allegations that the protesting farmers have political backing of opposition parties including Congress, AAP, SAD and the likes, the Kisan union president said, “We’ve decided that we won’t allow any political party leader to speak on our stage, be it Congress, BJP, AAP or other parties. Our Committee will allow other organisations, who are supporting us, to speak if they follow our rules.”

“We want to apologise to media for misbehaviour with them by a few protesters unknowingly. To avoid such situations in future, we’ve decided that after every meeting, an official press note will be released by us for media,” he added.

Farmers agitating against the Centre’s new Agri laws said that the government should have agreed to hold talks unconditionally. The protesting Kisan unions affirmed that they were ready for talks with the government but will not accept any conditions, including moving to the city’s Burari ground from the Singhu and Tikri border points, where they have stayed put for the last three days.

On Sunday morning, the Centre once again appealed to the scores of farmers who are agitating against the new Agri laws to shift to the ground in Delhi’s Burari and said a high-level team of Union Ministers is ready to hold discussions with them at the capital’s Vigyan Bhavan once they move to the designated place.

Last evening, Shah had also appealed to the farmers to shift to the ground at Burari and said the central government is ready to hold discussions with them if they conduct their protest at a ‘structured’ place.