Issuing a threat to the Central Government, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader, Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday said if the three laws are not repealed, the farmers will march to the Parliament on 40 lakh tractors.

The national holiday marks the first time India's constitution went into effect in 1950 following independence from British colonial rule, and the day is annually celebrated with a huge military parade through the capital.
Farmers planned their march to coincide with the government's parade, which has been scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic. But as tanks paraded before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tractors driven by protesters ran across the capital -- some could be seen almost crushing police personnel standing in their way.

The massive protests have been a significant challenge to Modi as months of demonstrations and sit-ins across the country against his key agricultural policy have grown into a stalemate marked by deadlocked talks between farmers and his administration.

Tikait said that the ‘farmers’ would march towards Delhi with 40 lakh tractors instead of 4 lakh tractors that had participated in the tractor rally on Republic Day. He reportedly said that the government was not ready to listen to the farmers and that it had decided to rob the farmers. Tikait accused the government of conniving with businessmen. He alleged that corporates had already prepared warehouses even before the farm laws were enacted. He said that the farm laws did not provide for the minimum support price (MSP) and that corporates would store the produce bought from farmers in their warehouse and would sell them at higher prices. Tikait urged the farmers in Rajasthan to unite in protest against the farm laws by rising above caste lines. He asked the youth to participate in the agitation.

Tikait also demanded that a new law should be enacted ensuring minimum support price for farmers.

On February 18 at a maha panchayat at Kharak Punia in Haryana, Tikait said the protesting farmers will take the agitation to the poll-bound West Bengal if the Centre does not concur with their demands against the new farm laws.

Republic Day tractor rally had led to riots in Delhi

On January 26, India’s Republic Day, hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers marched into New Delhi to protest against newly introduced farm laws. A few thousand protesters split from the main procession and entered the iconic Red Fort, where each year on India’s Independence Day, August 15, the prime minister hoists the national flag and addresses the nation. 

Earlier in the week, the farmers were granted permission from the Delhi police to conduct a tractor rally in certain areas of New Delhi. But, a section of the protesters had broken the police barricades in the morning and forced their way into the city before their scheduled parade. The police resorted to firing tear gas shells and using force to disperse the crowds. A section of the protesting farmers drove their tractors to Red Fort complex. Several armed protestors entered the national capital attacking the security personnel and vandalising the public property. Some protestors entered into the Red Fort and insulted the national flag and hoisted religious flags atop the Red Fort that were believed to be Khalistani flags. Hundreds of police personnel were injured during the riots. It was revealed later, that several separatist, anti-India organisations like banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) were behind the Republic Day riots.

The central government had been proposing to solve the farmers’ issues through dialogue. Several rounds of talks have been held between the farmers’ representatives and the government since the protests started. However, the talks ended in a deadlock as the farmers’ leaders were adamant on total repeal of the laws despite the government agreeing to make specific amendments in the laws. Prior to the havoc played by the protestors during the tractor rally on the Republic Day, the protesting farmers had been blocking major routes near the national capital for months.

An investigation has ben initiated by Delhi police into the Republic Day violence and around 38 FIRs have been lodged with over 100 accused having been arrested in relation to the violence.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and six journalists have been booked by the Noida Police for sedition, among other charges, over the violence during farmers's tractor rally in Delhi, officials said on Thursday.

The FIR was lodged at the Sector 20 police station here following a complaint by a resident who alleged that "digital broadcast" and "social media posts" by these people were responsible for the violence during a tractor rally by farmers in the national capital. The journalists named in the FIR are Mrinal Pande, Rajdeep Sardesai, Vinod Jose, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath and Anant Nath.

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References:

OpIndia - News Reports