Delhi-Jaipur highway spared snarls as farmers’ rally fails to take off

GURUGRAM: The proposed blockade of the Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-8) by farmers failed to get the required response on Saturday morning and had little effect on the movement of traffic. Farmer leaders, however, warned that their counterparts from neighbouring states would gather at the Shahjahanpur border by Saturday night and take out a march to block the highway on Sunday morning.However, on Saturday evening, the Lok Sabha MP from Nagaur, Hanuman Beniwal, and farmer leader Rampal Jat blocked the highway along with their supporters in Rewari on the Rajasthan border. The blockade was lifted after an hour.It was a relief for commuters in the morning as no snarls were reported at any of the border points with Delhi, unlike the previous “Delhi Chalo” rally on November 26 and 27 when the queue of vehicles stretched several kilometres from the Sirhaul border. Police, too, had not placed barricades this time and commuters were spared the stringent checks.However, there was heavy deployment of police along the highway. Delhi Police had also deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel and riot vehicles near the Rajokri border. Barricades were also kept as standby.But no farmer group from south Haryana gathered on the highway. Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan, who has been at the forefront of demonstrations in this region, said the protest march would actually start on Sunday. “We had clarified this on Friday. The ‘Delhi Chalo’ rally will begin from the Shahjahanpur border on Sunday. Today (Saturday) is the day for farmers from Haryana and Rajasthan to assemble at one point,” he added.Yadav said most of the farmer organisations would reach the Shahjahanpur border by Saturday night. “We are making arrangements for them in adjoining areas. They will march towards Delhi on December 13,” he said. Azad Khan, a senior member of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, echoed Yadav on Sunday’s plans and appealed to farmers to keep the movement apolitical. “Political parties and their functionaries should back the movement, but from a distance,” he said. He said many farmers were unaware of the repercussions of the three agriculture laws passed recently in Parliament. “If the government is actually concerned about the welfare of farmers, they should repeal the three laws and come up with another bill after taking the farmers into confidence,” Khan added.By Saturday evening, farmers led by Beniwal and Jat had started to gather at the Rajasthan border. However, a few farmers admitted they were not getting the required support in the south Haryana region to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway. The police were, however, relieved after a peaceful day. “The situation remained under control in Faridabad. We appreciate the efforts of the 3,500 policemen who were on duty and the people for their cooperation,” an officer of Faridabad police said.Gurugram police commissioner KK Rao said teams were on guard to deal with any untoward situation. “We had made adequate arrangements to maintain law and order and ensure the smooth flow of traffic,” he added..