Founder of Swaraj India Yogendra Yadav on Tuesday, 5 January announced that farmers have deferred their tractor march scheduled for 6 January to 7 January over bad weather forecasts, even as he said that from Wednesday, for two weeks, 'Desh Jagran Abhiyan' will be started and protests will be escalated across the country.
The farmer union leaders were addressing a press conference on Tuesday at Singhu border.
Yadav added that the protesting farmers will take out a tractor march at four borders of Delhi in what will be a “trailer for what lies ahead on 26 January,” ANI quoted Yadav as saying.
Speaking about the plan for 26 January, farmer leader Joginder Nain said that they will send 10 tractor trollies from every village in Haryana, according to PTI.
Yudhvir Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union had earlier said that “If the government does not make a decision on 4 January then farmers will have to take a decision.”
The seventh round of talks between the BJP government and farmers' unions were inconclusive on 4 January and the main bone of contention continued to be the total revocation of the three farm laws. The next round of talks are scheduled to take place on 8 January.
Farmers to Hold Rally on 26 January
Farmer unions had also expressed they were not ready to stand down and instead would organise a tractor rally and nationwide protests on 26 January.
“On 26 January, we will hold a massive rally in Delhi with tricolours on tractors. We give a call for countrywide protests at all headquarters (of the unions),” NDTV quoted a protester.
Amid clashes between the police and farmers at Shahjahanpur border on 1 January, Yadav had also said, “If our demands are not accepted, we will hold a march at Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) on 6 January. We will announce a date about when and move forward from Shahjahanpur border,” livemint reported.
Farmers have been protesting the three farm ordinances for over a month. After the seventh round of talks, attendee Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said that Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar “clearly said that the laws will not be repealed. He even told us to approach the Supreme Court for repeal of the laws,” NDTV quoted.
(With inputs from NDTV, ANI and livemint)