Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee general Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher announced in a press conference that the government had not met their clearly laid out demands but instead continue to oppose their requests and threatened them. They said that the farmers’ were harassed by the government during the meeting wherein they said things like “your son will not be able to do his degrees, passports will be canceled, brother’s job will go away” and so on. Furthermore, they pointed out that their twitter handles were stopped by the Government during the meeting.
They further displayed their dismay on the state’s decision to stop the border and that the government has blocked the roads instead of them. They further state that despite the government’s attempts to keep the farmers at bay fearing radical protests, they are trying their utmost to resolve the situation verbally only. They will not resort to violence and further condemn any actions that may cause damages or harm.
Furthermore, they said that the farmers have no intention of causing grivances to the public stating that they have not blocked the roads but instead the government has. They further explained that the farmers have been travelling towards Delhi in an orderly fashion so as to not disrupt the daily commute. But the government had constructed 10-20 feet high walls on the Sambhu border in order to keep the farmers out when they intend to protest peacefully. Sarwan Singh said this is all that caused the roads to be blocked and the government is to be blamed and not the farmers. He also said that the farmers are politically neutral as they believe that BJP and Congress are both equally to blame for their woes.
To stop the farmers from entering the national capital, the police along with the paramilitary forces have been deployed as security measures on Delhi borders, including at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, with cement blocks and pickets with nails installed on the approach roads. Large containers to block the roads if needed have also been kept on the borders to stop the farmers from entering the city. As per officials, over 5,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, are on their toes to maintain law and order on the Delhi borders.