LIVE: All-party meet by Punjab CM demands withdrawal of Centre's farm laws

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: Protest sites at Delhi's borders -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur have turned into fortresses as police beefed up security and strengthened barricades

2:51 PM

Akhilesh Yadav slams govt over barricades at farmers' protest sites

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday attacked the BJP government at the Centre over the police setting up barricades and road blocks at farmer agitation sites on Delhi's borders. Farmers' protest sites at Delhi's borders have turned into fortresses with police beefing up security and strengthening barricades. Iron rods have been hooked between two rows of cement barriers on a flank of the main highway at the Singhu border to further restrict the movement of protesters, agitating against the new farm laws, PTI reported.

 

Another portion of the highway at the Delhi-Haryana border is practically blocked as a makeshift cement wall has come up there. At Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, there are multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles. Barbed wire has also been put up to keep off people on foot.

 

"Politics you are awesome, with wall raised on the way and spiked wire, you say lets talk)," Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi with hashtag #farmer #nahi-chahiye-BJP (no more BJP).

2:48 PM

Latest visuals from Tikri border where farmers are protesting against farm laws

2:39 PM

Farmers' agitation will not conclude before October: Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait

2:24 PM

Sanjay Raut meets farmer leader Rakesh Tikait at Ghazipur protest site

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday reached farmers' protest site at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border where he met Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait. The Maharashtra leader arrived at Ghazipur when security has been further tightened at the farmers' protest site, PTI reported.

 

Raut, one of the handful people wearing a face mask at the site, met Tikait and other protestors off the stage when he reached around 1 pm.

 

The way vandalism unfolded here after January 26 and an attempt made to suppress the movement and Tikait, we felt it is our responsibility to stand by the farmers' and extend support of the whole of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray saahab, Raut told reporters. Ghazipur is a key farmers' protest site where thousands of protestors have converged in support of the ongoing stir against the contentious new farm laws.

2:11 PM

No problem if Opposition coming to support us but it should not be politicised: Rakesh Tikait

There's no problem if Opposition is coming to support us but it should not be politicised. We can't do anything if leaders come. The traffic movement has not been blocked by farmers, it is because of the police barricading: ANI quoted BKU leader Rakesh Tikait as saying.

1:44 PM

Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day as opposition seeks debate on farm bills

Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday without transacting substantial business as Congress and other opposition members created an uproar demanding discussion on the issue of farmers' protest over the three new farm bills. The House was first adjourned for about 40 minutes till 10:30 am, then till 11:30 am and then to 12:30 pm, PTI reported.

 

When the House re-assembled at 12:30 pm, protesting members again trooped in the Well raising slogans, forcing Deputy Chairman Harivansh to adjourn proceedings for the day. Before adjourning the House, the Deputy Chairman appealed to members to return to their seats and follow COVID-19 protocols. However, they did not heed to his requests.

 

Four bills were listed for consideration and passing in the legislative business for the day. They were: The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020; The National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019; The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020; and The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020.

12:56 PM

Latest visuals from Ghazipur border where farmers are protesting against

12:23 PM

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh chairs all-party meet over farm laws

11:34 AM

Gazipur border is closed for traffic because of farmer protests

Gazipur border is closed for traffic because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route via Anand Vihar, Chilla, DND, Apsara, Bhopra & Loni borders: Additional CP Traffic, Outer Range, Delhi

10:02 AM

Sanjay Raut to visit Singhu, Ghazipur borders to meet protesting farmers

Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut will visit Singhu and Ghazipur borders on Tuesday to meet the farmers protesting central farm laws.

 

This comes a week after the farmers' tractor rally on Republic Day turned violent in the national capital.

 

"The Maha Vikas Aghadi has taken many decisions in the interest of the farmers. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray always stood behind farmers in their tough times. The anguish and tears of the farmers are disturbing. On the instructions of party president Uddhav Thackeray, today I am going to meet agitating farmers at Singhu Border," Raut tweeted in Marathi.

9:32 AM

Twitter account blocked over criticism of farmers' stir

Alleging that the NDA government is not open to criticism, CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim on Monday said his Twitter account was suspended during the day, after he compared the Union Budget with a trading platform, and slammed the Centre over its handling of the farmers stir.

 

Salim told reporters that his account as well those of others were blocked temporarily, "at the behest of the IT department of the Centre".

 

Twitter had blocked several accounts and tweets after the government asked the microblogging platform to take action against 250 handles and posts which contained "false and provocative content" related to the ongoing farmers' agitation, according to sources.

 

"To my knowledge, 250 twitter accounts, including mine, were blocked in the country. Accounts that shared posts with the 'farmergenocide' hashtag were targeted," he stated.