OPINION | With the entry of politicians, farmer leaders now stand on the crossroads

Image Source : INDIA TV OPINION | With the entry of politicians, farmer leaders now stand on the crossroads
The picture of a senior Delhi Police officer bloodied after a sword assault by a protester on Friday at Delhi’s Singhu border has induced nationwide consternation. This occurred three days after the January 26 mayhem throughout which anti-national components disrespected our nationwide flag on the Red Fort, and rushing tractors and swords had been utilized by protesters to injure and maim policemen.  
 The courageous police officer, Alipur Station House Officer Pradeep Paliwal was attacked with a sword on Friday by Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Nawanshahr, Punjab, who was a part of a violent mob. The quick provocation was a pitched battle that befell amongst residents of close by villages who had been demanding that the protesters ought to depart Singhu border. This led to stoning from each side. SHO Pradeep Paliwal alongside along with his males had gone there to manage the state of affairs. He was attempting to pacify the mob, when rioters got here out of a tent brandishing swords, crossed the barricades and attacked police. Ranjit Singh attacked Paliwal with the sword a number of instances, the police officer’s hand suffered extreme bruises, and blood started to ooze from his arm in direction of his palm. Paliwal informed India TV reporter Kumar Sonu that the assault was instigated by two farm leaders Satnam Singh Pannu and Sarwan Singh Pandher, who had been current on the spot.
Now, there shouldn’t be an iota of doubt that the violence is being micro-managed by self-proclaimed farmer leaders like Pannu and Pandher, who’re nonetheless a part of the highest management of farmers. These two leaders are already dealing with expenses of sedition due to the January 26 Red Fort incidents. If different farm leaders think about Pannu and Pandher as responsible of crimes, the query arises, why these teams have been allowed to erect tents with different protesting farmers?
The assault on SHO Paliwal was not an remoted incident. There had been assaults on policemen at completely different locations on Friday. The SHO of Narela was additionally attacked with swords, however he was saved in time by his colleagues from the marauding mob. The SHO returned to responsibility after getting first assist. An IPS officer was additionally injured within the stoning by the mob.
Tension started when greater than 200 villagers from close by areas arrived on the protest web site at round midday, holding placards and nationwide flag. They demanded that the protesters should depart the realm. After shouting slogans, the group broke by way of the police  cordon and entered the protest web site. The protesting farmers retaliated with swords and sticks, and police needed to resort to lathi-charge and firing of tear gasoline shells. The villagers had been lastly pushed out by police and peace was restored.
India TV reporters spoke to a number of outdated ladies among the many native villagers who complained that womenfolk within the villages had been unable to freely transfer round for the final two months due to eve-teasing and lewd feedback by a number of the anti-social components among the many squatting farmers. If such incidents happen within the guise of farmers’ agitation, no person with a sane thoughts will tolerate such actions. These villagers had been offering water, milk, fruit and greens to the protesting farmers for the final two months, however now they’re indignant and need the farmers to depart.
There are stories that farmer leaders are pleading with their supporters to not depart the ‘dharna’ websites as a result of their agitation will lose its steam. Media individuals are usually not being allowed to go close to the tents with cameras. There are stories that a lot of the tents at the moment are vacant and the supporters have left for his or her houses in Punjab. Our reporter Vijaylaxmi was stopped from utilizing her digital camera when she went to a number of tents. She cross-checked with native distributors who confirmed that a lot of the farmers have left after the January 26 mayhem.
The same state of affairs has occurred at Delhi’s Tikri border, the place villagers from close by areas staged protest and demanded that the farmers ought to depart the realm by Sunday, in any other case the locals from 36 villages would retaliate. Here too, ladies from villages complained that there had been instances of eve-teasing by some anti-social components, who overtly devour liquor within the night and trigger nuisance. The identical is the state of affairs in Shahjahanpur on Haryana-Rajasthan border, the place native villagers have been constantly demanding that the farmers should now depart.
The state of affairs was completely different at UP gate in Ghazipur, the place Bharatiya Kisan Union chief Rakesh Tikait continues to take a seat on ‘dharna’. Farmers from western UP have determined at a mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar that they’d rejoin the protest at Ghazipur. Visuals of Rakesh Tikait in tears on Thursday night have mobilized the farmers in western UP belt, who’ve come ahead to take a seat with the farmer chief.

On Friday, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh spoke to Rakesh Tikait over telephone and prolonged his help. His son, Jayant Chaudhary went to Ghazipur and met Tikait. Aam Aadmi Party chief Manish Sisodia additionally went to Ghazipur and met Tikait in a present of solidarity.Congress chief Rahul Gandhi addressed a press convention, the place he warned that the farmers’ protests, if not resolved, would unfold to different cities and can trigger instability. He alleged that the federal government was attempting to “terrorize” protesting farmers and crush the agitation. Rahul Gandhi repeated his earlier cost that the Prime Minister was working on the behest of 5 businessmen, and on their recommendation, he had resorted to demonetization, imposed GST and now the three farm legal guidelines.
Among the politicians, the voice of sanity was heard from Punjab chief minister Captain Amrinder Singh who appealed to farmer leaders to attend conferences with the Centre to resolve the dispute over farm legal guidelines. Capt Amrinder Singh stated, “the agitation has now lost its steam” as a result of violence on January 26, and warned that if the issue was not solved it might trigger recent unrest in Punjab, which can swimsuit Pakistan’s agenda.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that BJP was sending its employees within the guise of native villagers to out the farmers from the protest websites. Badal instructed his get together cadre to hurry to Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders to bolster the power of the protesting farmers and counter the problem from BJP.
I’ve watched the remarks made by all these political leaders. It seems that political leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Sukhbir Singh Badal, are presently extra frightened in comparison with the farmer leaders due to the waning help to the farmers’ agitation. They are frightened over giant variety of farmers deserting the protest websites on their very own. This is the explanation why these political leaders try to mobilize their very own get together employees to affix the farmers’ agitation.
So lengthy because the farmers’ agitation was in full steam, and the federal government was concerned in discussions, these leaders had been completely happy over the political harvest that they had been anticipating, however now they discover a political win slipping by way of their fingers, due to waning help. It can be higher if Rahul Gandhi listened to his personal get together chief Capt Amrinder Singh’s views on farmers’ agitation, however he appears to have the least inclination to take action.
As for the farm leaders, gone are the times once they had been stiffly resisting any try by any political chief to return up on their dais. They had consciously stored politicians at bay. But on Friday, with the arrival of politicians from completely different events on the protest websites, their promise of protecting the farmers’ agitation free from politics, has now vanished into skinny air. The farmers’ agitation has now misplaced its sheen. The violence on Republic Day and the disrespect to the nationwide flag, has made the frequent public lose their belief within the farmers’ motion. The farmer leaders right now stand on the crossroads. They have no idea which path to comply with.
WATCH AAJ KI BAAT:

Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9 PM
India’s Number One and probably the most adopted Super Prime Time News Show ‘Aaj Ki Baat – Rajat Sharma Ke Saath was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show is redefining India’s super-prime time and is numerically far forward of its contemporaries.
Latest India News