When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2021 on February 1, the farmers protesting against Centre's three farm laws will be marching towards the Parliament building on the same day, said Darshan Pal of the Krantikari Kisan Union on Monday.
"Farmers to march towards Parliament from different locations on Budget day on February 1," news agency PTI quoted Darshan Pal as saying.
Meanwhile, the protesting farmers will be holding a tractor rally tomorrow (Republic Day). The farmers' unions have claimed that around two lakh tractors are expected to participate in their parade which will move into the city from three border points --- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur (UP Gate).
Besides, thousands of armed personnel have been deployed at the Rajpath and several border points of the national capital which has been brought under a multi-layered security cover in view of Republic Day celebrations as well as the proposed tractor parade by farmers.
Protesting farmer unions have said their parade will not enter central Delhi and it will start only after the official Republic Day parade concludes.
Moreover, the Delhi Police and farmer leaders have visited the route for the rally scheduled tomorrow, informed Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava on Monday, adding that the police had taken cognisance of possible anti-national elements.
The Delhi Police Commissioner further said that the police would facilitate farmers on the rally so that they stay on track.
"We have been speaking with farmer leaders for the last six to seven days and are having very good coordination. Based on our discussions, we have mutually agreed on three routes for the rally. We (police and farmer leaders) have visited the routes," Srivastava told the media.
"Various essential terms and conditions, not just for people of Delhi but also for farmers themselves have been spelt out. With the Republic Day parade and the farmer rally taking place at the same time, some anti-national elements might take advantage of the situation. We have taken cognisance of this and are being careful. We will not hold back from taking necessary steps if needed," he added.
Earlier, farmers leaders had expressed dismay at the routes assigned for the rally.
"We feel that the kind of permission granted to us for tractor rally is not right. We wanted to go to the old Ring Road but we were given conditional permission and assigned the portion that comes largely under Haryana," Sukhwinder Singh Sabhra of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee told ANI.
Special Commissioner of Police (CP), Intelligence in Delhi Police, Dependra Pathak has said on Sunday, "The tractor rally will enter Delhi from Tikri, Singhu, and Ghazipur borders and return to its originating points. From Singhu, it will pass through Kanjhawala, Bawana, Auchandi border, KMP Expressway, and then return to Singhu." Farmers from all across the country are marching towards Delhi to take part in the scheduled rally to protest against the Central Government's three contentious farm laws.
Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
(With ANI and PTI inputs)
