Ubaidullah Nasir
Strange things a re happening in this country under this government. Have you ever heard that the police has gone to court that too the highest court to seek ban on any proposed demonstration as the Delhi police has gone to Supreme Court requesting the highest court to order a ban on proposed tractor rally of agitating farmers on Republic Day. Keeping in mind various pro government judgements and decisions of the court many were doubting that the SC may issue an order or may request the farmers to stop their proposed tractor rally but thankfully it declined issuing any order in this matter. The Supreme Court observed that its intervention on the farm laws has been “misunderstood” and that who should be allowed to enter Delhi to hold protest is a law and order issue that should be handled by the police and not by the court. Definitely it was an attempt by the union home ministry to involve the Supreme Court to save its skin in forcefully stopping the farmers from entering Delhi to hold tractor rally on eve of republic day. Attorney general KK Venugopal urged the court to pass an order to this effect since it has taken up the issue. He said the proposed tractor of the agitating farmers has created an extra ordinary situation, but the bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, justice Nageshwar Rao and justice Vineet Saran asked “Does the government of India needs Supreme Court to tell it what powers does it have under the police act. The government is at liberty to invoke its power under the law, the bench said. Bench clarified that it will chiefly focus on farm laws and adjourned the matter to be heard next day( Wednesday the 19th January) by the same bench which has earlier stayed the farm laws and formed a four member committee of which one Mr. Bhupinder Singh Mann has resigned the next day. The bench may nominate another member at his place or even reconstitute the new panel keeping in view the controversy it has generated among farmers as all of them are known supporters of the controversial farm laws.
It must be noted here that displaying best sense of statesmanship and behaving as a patriotic responsible citizen the farmer’s leaders have already announced that they will not disrupt or disturb the Republic day parade and will hold tractor parade on ring road. Ahead of the rally farmers from Punjab Haryana Uttarakhand and western UP have started pouring into Delhi borders. We have come here to support our brothers who have been protesting for the last 54 days and during this period 73 of them have died. Successful tractor parade will be a befitting tribute to these martyrs famers said a farmer’s leader from Uttarakhand.
Earlier Farmers union protesting against the farm laws resolved to go ahead with their proposed tractor parade. The leaders of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha have said that the parade would be peaceful and no disruption would be caused to official ceremony .Mr. Yogendra Yadav President of Swaraj movement one of the unit of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha said that the soldiers are actually farmers in uniform and the farmers too will celebrate the Republic Day. He said that as per the pre announced programme the tractor parade would be held on the fifty kilometer long outer ring road. No display of weapon or any type of provocative speech will be allowed nor there would be any attempt to attack or lay siege to buildings and places of historical importance he said. Instead, the tractors will be decorated with tricolor and a tableau will be erected in trolleys that will roam around Delhi. It will be an eye catching parade that people in this country have never witnessed. We won’t breach security or cause any disruption rather it will be a wakeup call for the government said Shiv Kumar Rathi a farmer’s leader from western UP. Mr. Hannan Mollah of All India Kisan Sabha said that the only purpose of the proposed tractor parade is to highlight the plights of the farmers. We will however keep talking to the government but will not agree from anything less than the repeal of the controversial laws asserted farmer’s leaders.
Adding insult to the injury the NIA issued notices to many farmer’s leaders journalists and NGOs to probe Khalistani angle in the protest. The case has been registered against the banned Sikhs for justice (SFJ). The NIA had summoned 40 persons for examination as witness all of them have either joined the farmers agitation or have provided humanitarian aid to the protesting farmers. Khalsa Aid International a NGO known world wide for providing humanitarian aid to all irrespective of religion and country has set up food stalls and provided food massage machine and geysers to farmers protesting at Delhi border. Two members of this NGO were summoned by NIA but their examination has been postponed. BJP’s erstwhile ally Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress have condemned the summons and notices by NIA to NGO, farm leaders, journalists and activists and blamed Modi government for using the agency to intimidate those who are opposed to this government.
Meanwhile another round of talks between the government and the farm leaders is going to take place today but both sides are not showing any sign of flexibility on their known stand so the success of talks is under cloud. Supreme Court may also announce its new committee or a new member replacing Mr. Mann. Let us hope against hope for any better outcome of all these efforts.