Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday alleged that the protesting farmers are being threatened at Ghazipur and Singhu borders of the national capital.
Priyanka Gandhi said this is "against every rule of democracy" and that the Congress party will continue to stand with the farmers in this agitation against the Centre's contentious three farm laws.
"Yesterday at midnight, they tried to end the farmers' protest using lathis. Today, farmers are being threatened on Ghazipur, Singhu border. This is against every rule of democracy. The Congress will stand in this struggle with the farmers. Those who want to break the farmers' struggle are traitors (sic)," she wrote on Twitter in Hindi.
Strict action should be taken against violent elements. And the entire power of the people of the country stands with the farmers who have been protesting peacefully for months (sic)," Gandhi wrote in a follow-up tweet.
This comes after the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed all DMs, SPs to get the farmers' protest sites cleared out.
After the CM's order, the Ghaziabad District Magistrate (DM) gave an ultimatum to agitating farmers to vacate the Ghazipur border protest site by Thursday midnight. The administration said if protestors do not act as per order then they will be forcefully evacuated by night, news agency ANI reported.
Earlier in the day, there was a heavy deployment of Delhi Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rapid Action Force in the area. The police also pressed drones for surveillance at the Ghazipur protest site, where the farmers have been sitting on protest against the three farm laws since November last year.
Meanwhile, accusing the Central government of hatching a conspiracy against farmers, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the farmers will not call off their sit-in protest against the agricultural reform laws until they hold discussions with the government.
"We will continue our sit-in protest and will not vacate site till talks with the government are held. The administration has removed basic facilities including water and electricity supply. We will get water from our villages," Tikait told mediapersons.
The BKU spokesperson also turned emotional and alleged that the Central government had hatched a conspiracy against the farmers.
"The Central Government and Delhi Police have conspired against the farmers since January 26 to dismantle the protest. They (Government) cheated the farmers. BJP legislators are bringing people to hit the farmers," he alleged.
