If farmers are removed forcibly, will turn government offices into galla mandis, Rakesh Tikait warns Centre

Two days after barricades and cemented blocks were removed from the Ghazipur and Tikri borders, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday warned the Centre that if an attempt is made to forcibly remove the protesting farmers from the borders, then they will turn government offices across the country into ‘galla mandis’ (Anaj Mandis). “If there is an attempt to forcibly remove the farmers from the borders, then they will turn government offices across the country into Galla Mandi,” said Tikait in a tweet today. Earlier, on Thursday night, Delhi Police started removing barricades placed at the Tikri and Ghazipur borders where farmers were protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws. The stretch was shut for over 11 months ever since the farmers’ agitation started and commuters have been citing inconvenience during their travelling. JCB machines were seen removing blockades placed by the Delhi Police at the farmers’ protest at Delhi’s Tikri border amid a Supreme Court hearing that has highlighted how traffic in the area had been stopped by authorities and not by the demonstrators. The police had placed elaborate barricades on the roads, along with giant nails and huge concrete blocks, when farmers converged on various border crossing points around the capital in November last year to protest against the Centre’s three agricultural laws. Farmers have been protesting at different sites since November 26 last year against the three enacted farm laws: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.