Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed the Central government for preventing farmers to enter Delhi. Raut said that that it was an insult that farmers have been treated like "terrorists" and they are even being called "Khalistani".
"The way farmers have been stopped from entering Delhi, it looks like as if they do not belong to this country. They have been treated like terrorists. Since they are Sikh and have come from Punjab and Haryana, they are being called Khalistani. It is an insult to farmers," Raut said.
Farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, embarked on the 'Delhi Chalo' march to protest against the three new farm laws - The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The government said the three laws will do away with middlemen, enabling farmers to sell their produce in the commercial markets. However, protestors fear that this could lead to the government not buying produce at guaranteed prices, thereby disrupting their timely payments.
The Delhi administration has allotted the Burari ground to the farmers for protesting. While some farmers were shifted there on Saturday morning after they were allowed to enter Delhi through the Tikri border, a thousand others are demanding that they be allowed to enter the heart of the city.
