'Jatha' will march towards Delhi on Dec 8 if Centre doesn't engage in talks till tomorrow: Sarwan Singh Pandher

New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced on Friday that a group of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi on December 8 at 12 noon if the Union Government does not engage in talks with them by tomorrow.
Pandher, speaking at the Shambhu border, said they would wait until tomorrow for discussions with the government. "We will wait till tomorrow for talks with the government, otherwise, a 'Jatha' of 101 farmers will march towards Delhi on 8 December at 12 noon," the farmer leader said.
He added, "I think the Prime Minister is not even listening to the Vice President. If the round of talks had started, a happy solution to this movement could have been found...The government is not ready for talks...For us, the ruling party and the opposition are the same; they all do politics."
Earlier in the day, farmer leaders called off their 'Dilli Chalo' protest march for the day after several farmers were reportedly injured in tear gas shelling by police at the Shambu border.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the 'Jatha,' a group of 101 farmers participating in the 'Dilli Chalo' march, was recalled after six farmers were injured when Haryana Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border.
Pandher had announced that the 'Jatha' (a contingent of 101 farmers) participating in the 'Delhi Chalo March' had been called off after six farmers were injured when Haryana Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd at the Haryana-Punjab Shambhu border.
"We have called off the 'Jatha,' not the march to Delhi. Six farmers have been injured." Speaking at the Shambhu border, he said, "They (police) will not let us go to Delhi. Farmer leaders have been injured; we will hold a meeting to decide the future strategy," he clarified.
The protest aims to press for several demands, including compensation and a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Heavy police presence was observed at the Haryana-Punjab border, where 101 farmers were stopped. Drone footage showed barricades set up by the police.
"The farmers do not have permission to enter Haryana. The Ambala administration has imposed Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS)," a police officer at the border said.
Earlier, Pandher had said, "We should be allowed to march towards Delhi peacefully, or the authorities should engage with us regarding our demands. The doors for talks are open from the farmers' side. If the government wants to talk, they should show us a letter from the central government or the Chief Minister's office in Haryana or Punjab. We want the central government to accept our demands, provide us with a place to protest in Delhi, and restore internet services in Ambala."
In response to the protests, the Haryana government ordered an internet shutdown in ten villages in Ambala from December 6 to 9, citing the need to prevent the spread of misinformation via social media.
The affected villages include Dangdehri, Lohgarh, Manakpur, and Saddopur. However, essential services such as banking and mobile recharges will remain operational.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary invited the farmers for talks. "Doors are open for the farmers to come and have a dialogue regarding their issues. I am also their brother, and if they want to come, the doors are open. If they want us to go to them, we will go and have a dialogue," he said.
The protest is being led by the Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP) in collaboration with other farmer groups. (ANI)