- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab. have been marching towards the national capital since Tuesday (13) to push the federal government with many demands.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (16) broke his silence over the ongoing farmers’ protest in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana and said that his government was working on schemes for the benefit of the farming community.
His statement came as the ongoing protest, the second edition, entered the fourth day. Modi, who was on a trip to the Middle East when the protest kicked off, made the remark while addressing the public after laying the foundation stone of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rewari in the state of Haryana.
Also taking a dig at the previous government led by the Indian National Congress, the prime minister said his government gave the farmers the “guarantee” to seek loans from banks, something that he alleged was not there in times of the previous administration.
“We gave Modi guarantee to farmers… Banks did not give them loans, but we gave guarantee to the farmers,” the PM said.
Read: India cops fire tear gas as thousands of protesting farmers march towards Delhi
The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab. have been marching towards the national capital since Tuesday (13) to push the federal government with many demands, including those on waiver of agricultural loan and the minimum support price for their products.
Read: India farmers protest: Modi ministers to meet agitators today
Heavy security was put in place at the border between Punjab and Haryana and Delhi’s borders with neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to bar the protesters’ march. Large barricades were put up besides barbed fences. The police also used teargas shells to disperse the protesters.
Traffic movement in the region, especially Delhi’s borders, were severely hit. The administration also barred gatherings of five or more people in Delhi and Noida.
The prime minister’s words about providing the farmers with beneficial plans came a day after three ministers of his government, including agriculture minister Arjun Munda and trade and industry minister Piyush Goyal, met representatives of the protesting unions in Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. It was also attended by the chief minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, who said he would continue to broker peace for his state.
He also asked the government of Haryana, which is ruled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, not to fire ammunition against the protesters in areas that fall under the jurisdiction of the government of Punjab.
The federal ministers said the meeting ended past midnight on Friday on a positive note and that another meeting would be held on Sunday (18). They also assured the farmers that internet services that were suspended would be restored.
Sarvan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, a protesting farmers’ union, said if the commitments made during the meeting became a reality, the farmers would be highly benefited.
