Mayawati urges government to address farmers' demands amid ongoing protests

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 14 (ANI): As the farmers' protests continue, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday urged the government to take the demands of the farmers seriously and to consider them with empathy.
She also called for a timely and appropriate solution to prevent farmers from having to repeatedly protest in support of their demands.
"The government should seriously consider the demands of the hardworking farmers who have made our India self-sufficient in terms of food, and should resolve them appropriately and timely with empathy so that the food-providing farmers do not have to be forced to protest again and again in support of their demands," the BSP supremo said in a post on 'X'.
Mayawati also advised the central government to engage in proper dialogue with the protesting farmers and attempt to end their protests rather than using force against them.
"In this regard, instead of being harsh on the protesting farmers under the current 'Delhi Chalo' campaign, it would be better if the central government tries to end their protest by having a proper dialogue with them, and it is also not right to exploit them," she said in another post.
Mobile internet services, bulk SMS and all dongle services will continue to remain suspended in seven districts of Haryana for another 48 hours till February 15 midnight in view of the 'Delli Chalo' call given by farmers' organisations.
The mobile services were earlier suspended on February 11 morning till February 13 midnight.
According to a notification issued by the Haryana administration, bulk SMS and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, will remain suspended in the jurisdiction of districts Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa.
Meanwhile, long traffic jams were seen at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border on Wednesday due to the farmers' protest and security checks put in place by the authorities.
Rapid Action Force personnel, Police personnel and Riot Control Vehicles are deployed at the Singhu Border in Delhi in view of the farmers' protest.
The morning visuals showed that security arrangements have been intensified at the Shambhu border in Ambala, Haryana, as farmers who marched towards Delhi on Tuesday clashed with the police.
More concrete is being poured between the concrete slabs at the Tikri Border to make the border stronger on day two of the farmers' march towards the national capital.
DSP Anil Kumar of Jhajjar, Haryana said that the traffic has been diverted and currently the atmosphere is peaceful.
"Currently, the atmosphere is peaceful. Traffic has been diverted. The movement of the pedestrians is normal," DSP Kumar told ANI.
Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said that they want the Prime Minister to step forward and speak with the farmers.
"There are reports in the media that the MSP guaranteeing law can not be formed so soon. All, we are saying is to give us a legal guarantee on that (MSP) so that we don't sell crops below that MSP. So, there is no question of a Committee. We would want the PM to step forward and speak with the farmers," Pandher said.
The protesting farmers on Tuesday were seen attempting to break the multi-layered barricades using their tractors and hand weapons. The Haryana police, meanwhile, detained several protesting farmers. The police deployed concrete slabs, iron nails, barricades, barbed wires, and police and paramilitary personnel at Kurukshetra in Haryana in view of the 'Delhi Chalo' march by the farmers.
To ensure law and order, Delhi police enforced Section 144, restricting the entry of tractor-trolleys and large assemblies.
The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the central government for which they're marching to Delhi. The protest this time has been called by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
According to the protesting farmers, the centre promised them better crop prices, after which they ended the 2021 protest. They are demanding to enact a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission report.
They are also demanding a complete debt waiver and a scheme to provide pensions to farmers and farm labourers.
The farmers have also urged to scrap the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 and are demanding to reintroduce the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, ensuring consent from farmers and compensation at 4 times the collector rate.
Further, they are demanding to punish those involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri killings. An appeal to provide 200 days of employment per year and a daily wage of Rs 700 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA), linking it with farming, has also been made by the farmers.
Also, they have demanded compensation to the families of farmers who died during the protests in 2021 and a job for any family member has been put in place. (ANI)