Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh promised action after getting the Prime Minister’s nod.
New Delhi:
The Noida-Delhi border point at Chilla reopened for traffic late last night after two weeks following successful talks between the protesting farmers’ representatives and the central government. During the meeting Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh promised proactive consideration of the agitators’ demands.
The road leading from Noida to Delhi was first partially reopened around 10 pm and then fully by around 11 pm on Saturday, with police personnel and farmers together removing the barricades. The side leading out of Delhi was open anyway.
The breakthrough came after the representatives of the farmers who had been siting in protest at Chilla presented their 18 demands before the government, which in turn promised to look into them. Besides Mr Singh, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar was also present at the meeting.
“They received our statement and said there was nothing in it that could not be handled. However, they said they will have to get it cleared from the Prime Minister,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), which represented the farmers.
“They asked us to clear the protest, and said they will call us in 10-15 days. Thus, we decided to remove the blockade,” the BKU chief said.
While the farmers are said to be satisfied, a section of BKU is in favour of continuing with the agitation. BKU district chief Rajiv Nagar said there will be a “mahapanchayat” of farmers on Sunday morning around 11am to decide the future course of action. Their protest could continue at a nearby park.
