Ahead of a proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march by farmer unions on Tuesday, Section 144 has been imposed on the Delhi-UP border. Large gatherings have also been banned at Shahadara and Gandhi Nagar areas of the capital.
Farmers from Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) will commence their journey from various parts of Punjab on Monday afternoon. "We will start from Beas and stay at Fatehgarh Sahib. Our demands are the same - the MSP guarantee law and that sugar cane should be joined with C200. When a farmer turns 60 years old he should be given Rs 10,000 a month," Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarvan Singh Pandher told ANI.
He added that the march would move peacefully and our objective is that the government listen to our demands.
Meanwhile, thousands of tractors are also expected to be part of the Delhi Chalo march.
Ahead of the march, the borders have been fortified, including at Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu where Section 144 is in place. RPF personnel have also been deployed in these areas. "As many as 1,000 to 1,500 Delhi Police personnel will be deployed in each of these border areas. However, the pattern of deployment and the number of personnel will change as per the situation in these areas. Apart from this, iron containers and cemented barricades are also being put up in the borders and will be used as and when needed," a source said.
Meanwhile, the move to block the borders has drawn the flak of the opposition. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged people to uproot those from Delhi "who put nails in the path of farmers". Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared a video of spike barriers on a road and said, "Is laying nails-thorns in the path of farmers 'amritkaal' or 'anyaykaal'?"
Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann likened the roads to Delhi and Haryana to the India-Pakistan border. "I urge the Centre to hold talks with farmers and accept their genuine demands... There are as many wires put up on the roads (Punjab-Haryana borders) to go to Delhi as there are at the border with Pakistan," said Mann.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) also slammed the blocking of roads. "Why is the government scared? Huge barricading is being done. Is this democracy?" its leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said. "If the situation turns bad, it will be the responsibility of the Khattar government," he said in a video message.
