With a warning to Narendra Modi government that it will face their wrath if their concerns are not addressed, thousands of farmers have converged in the national capital for their Parliament March on Friday demanding a special Parliament session to discuss the agrarian crisis.
The two-day march, organised by the All India Kisan Struggle Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) representing around 200 farmers' outfits, has in its leadership, organisations like All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Yogendra Yadav-led Jai Kisan Andolan, Medha Patkar-led NAPM and V M Singh's Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan.
It will culminate with a Parliament March on Friday where Opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, are expected to pledge their support.
Five marches have started from various parts of the capital on Thursday morning and they will converge in Ramlila Maidan where a cultural evening will be organised.
"Farmers will respond to Modi govt's demonetisation decision by not giving their vote to it," AIKS President Ashok Dhawale said as one of the marches started.
The protesters are demanding a 21-day special joint session of Parliament be called to exclusively discuss farm distress and their demands like loan waiver and minimum support price among others, which were raised during a series of protests by several farmers' outfits across the country in the past two years.
On September 5, AIKS had mobilised tens of thousands of farmers in the capital in a protest while Mumbai in March had witnessed an iconic 'Long March'. The firing on agitating farmers in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur in June 2017 had given an impetus to the farmer's protests in the country and the Opposition has been rallying farmers to take on Modi-led BJP.
At Ramlila Maidan in the evening, a cultural event was organised in support of farmers. The maidan resonated with slogans like 'Ayodhya nahi, Karzi maaf chahiye (We don't need Ayodhya but debt waiver').
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