Farmers' protest LIVE: Congress is doing 'khoon ki kheti', says Tomar

Farmers' protest LIVE updates: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the nationwide protest will be peaceful

4:56 PM

Farmers' Chakka jam: Delhi Police tightens security at border points near protest sites

Security at the city's border points near the three protest sites have been tightened by deploying extra forces and putting up multi-layered barricades, barbed wires and nails studded on the roads ahead of the proposed 'chakka jam' by farmers protesting the Centre's three agri laws, police said on Friday. Earlier in the day, Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava also held a meeting with the senior officers of the force and reviewed the security arrangements.'

 

The police will also be monitoring content on the social media to keep a watch on those spreading rumours against the force, PTI report said.Farmer unions on Monday had announced a countrywide 'chakka jam' on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.

 

Elaborating about the security arrangements for the proposed 'chakka jam', Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said in view of the violence that took place on January 26, adequate security arrangements have been put in place by the Delhi Police at the borders so that miscreants are not able enter the national capital.

4:31 PM

No road blockade in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand tomorrow: BKU Leader Rakesh Tikait

3:54 PM

Farmers can withdraw from contract at any point: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar

Amid the Opposition's continuous attack on the government in Parliament over the farmers protests, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar on Friday said that as per the Centre's three new farm laws, farmers can terminate their contract at any time and can withdraw from their agreement without any penalty.

 

Earlier in the day, Congress member in the Rajya Sabha from Haryana Deepender Hooda lashed out at the Centre for the serious situation arising out of the farmers' movement.

 

Tomar said that contract farming in Punjab has provisions that may land a farmer in jail with a fine of upto Rs 5 lakh, whereas the central government's new farm legislation gives complete liberty to a farmer. The Minister said that there are about 20-22 states who have incorporated such provisions in contract farming.

 

"We brought Trade Act, a provision was made that areas outside APMC will be trade area, can be a farmer's home also. It will not attract any tax. Within APMC, States levy tax. The Centre's act abolishes the tax outside APMC and State forces you to pay tax.

3:12 PM

Chakka jam to be held peacefully pan-India, says farm leader Rakesh Tikait

Ahead of the February 6 'chakka jam' by agitating farmers, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the nationwide protest will be peaceful and added that there will be no 'chakka jam' in Delhi.

 

"We have been protesting peacefully and the 'chakka jam' will also be held peacefully across the country on February 6. There will be no chakka jam anywhere in Delhi. The farmers who are unable to join us will hold chakka jam at their respective places," said Tikait.

 

"The people who get stuck will be given food and water, we will peacefully talk to them and explain our point," he added. Earlier, Tikait told reporters that there will be a three-hour-long chakka jam on February 6 everywhere outside Delhi. READ ON...

2:35 PM

Anyone speaking truth dubbed as traitor, anti-national, repeal farm laws: Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena on Friday charged that anyone speaking the truth is dubbed as a "traitor" or "anti-national" and that cases of sedition have been slapped against those criticising the government. Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in Rajya Sabha, Sena member Sanjay Raut said farmers fighting for their rights have been branded as anti-nationals or Khalistanis, PTI reported.

 

He said the farmers, who were known as 'warriors' when they fought the Mughals and the British, are now dubbed as anti-nationals when they are fighting for their rights on Delhi's borders.

 

Raut said farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, who are sitting on the borders of Delhi, are fighting for the peasants from across the country and demanded that their voice be heard and the farm laws be repealed.

2:21 PM

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party holds tractor rally in Jaipur to protest against farm laws

1:58 PM

Govt's offer to amend farm laws doesn't mean shortcomings in legislations: Agriculture Minister

Putting up a strong defence of the new farm laws, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said the government's offer to amend them to assuage farmers' sentiments did not mean they had any flaws and that none from the protesting unions or their sympathisers have been able to point out any lacuna. Countering the opposition claim that farmers across the country are agitated over the three new laws, he said that those in just one state are being misinformed and instigated.

 

His comments in Rajya Sabha referred to protests at the border points of the national capital being led by farmers from Punjab.

 

The government, he said, is committed to welfare of farmers and to the continuation of the mandi system of procurement of crops on minimum support price (MSP) based mechanism. The laws give farmers alternatives to sell their produce outside 'mandis', and unlike the state government notified market places, such sale would not attract any tax.

1:33 PM

Mia Khalifa reiterates support for farmers protest amid criticism

Former adult star Mia Khalifa on Friday said she is "still standing with the farmers" after her comments, criticising the treatment being meted to the protesting farmers, drew sharp reactions.

 

A tweet by international pop star Rihanna on Tuesday, triggered a wave of support for protesting farmers with a number of global celebrities, activists and politicians expressing their solidarity with them. Khalifa too had shared a tweet.

 

The government had criticised the tweets by Rihanna and other celebrities, saying facts on the issue must be ascertained before people rushing to comment on the issue, calling it "neither accurate nor responsible".

1:13 PM

Farmers protest: Delhi Police to seek info from Google on authors of 'Toolkit'

Delhi Police is set to write to Google to get the IP (internet protocol) address or the location from where the 'Toolkit' document was created and uploaded on the social media platform.

 

According to Police sources, this inquiry is being done to identify the authors of the 'Toolkit' which was shared on Google Docs.

 

"Delhi Police is going to write to Google to get the IP address or the location from where the doc was made and uploaded on the social media platform. This is being done to identify the authors of the toolkit which was shared on the Google Doc," Delhi Police sources said.

 

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi Police Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan on Thursday said they had registered a case against creators of 'Toolkit' and no one had been named in the FIR.

1:05 PM

Farmers protest: Delhi Police to seek info from Google on authors of 'Toolkit'

Delhi Police is set to write to Google to get the IP (internet protocol) address or the location from where the 'Toolkit' document was created and uploaded on the social media platform.

 

According to Police sources, this inquiry is being done to identify the authors of the 'Toolkit' which was shared on Google Docs.

 

"Delhi Police is going to write to Google to get the IP address or the location from where the doc was made and uploaded on the social media platform. This is being done to identify the authors of the toolkit which was shared on the Google Doc," Delhi Police sources said.

8:22 AM

Farmers' protest: Tikait says chakka jam to be pan-India except in Delhi

He said the blockade will not be done in Delhi but will take place in other parts of the National Capital Region, which comprises parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, and the rest of country including the southern states.

 

Dilli mein hum nahi kar rahe, wahan to raja ne khud qile-bandi kar li hai humare jaam karne ki zaroorat hi nahi hai (We are not going to do anything in Delhi, the king there has already fortified it, there is no need for us to do a blockade now), he told reporters here.

 

On the proposed 'chakka jaam', he said, There will be a three-hour blockade on roads. It won't happen in Delhi but other parts of the country. The vehicles which will come and stop will be given water and food. Items like 'chana' and peanuts will also be distributed to these people and we will apprise them of what the government is doing with us.