Farmers end protests after midnight entry to Delhi

The massive farmers' protests that kept the Modi government on tenterhooks melted in the early hours of Wednesday with the farmers dispersing to their respective villages after a midnight visit to Kisan Ghat – the final destination of their 10-day march.

The Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Police allowed the farmers – who were barricaded on the fringes of the national capital on Tuesday – to enter Delhi and proceed to Kisan Ghat just after midnight on Tuesday where they ended the Kisan Kranti March that had begun in Haridwar on September 23.

“We will continue to demand our rights, but for now, we are ending the march,” Naresh Tikait, president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), said.

The BKU leaders had a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday on their 15-point charter that included better MSP for the rabi crop, and were assured of a favourable decision.

Accordingly, the Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday increased the support price for the rabi or winter crops that would give farmers an additional income of Rs 62,635 crore.

The farmers began dispersing for their villages before sunrise prompting the police to clear the barricades which they had put up at the border.

"Our objective was to draw the attention of the government towards the problems the farmers face, and we achieved our goal,” Tikait said.

The government had agreed to seven of their 11 demands, BKU leader Yudhvir Singh said.

The massive protests had threatened to put daily life out of gear affecting traffic on Wednesday. The protests, however, had minimal impact on Tuesday, which was a national holiday.

“After rounds of meetings, Kisan Yatra agitation ended yesterday (Tuesday) night and all have moved back to their destinations. District traffic movement should normalise today (Wednesday),” Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari said.

At the meeting with farmer leaders, the government agreed to meet seven demands, including better support prices, seeking a review of the NGT ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles, and review of the crop insurance scheme.