NEW DELHI: The ongoing farmers’ agitation is causing inconvenience to the residents of the national capital and nearby states besides financial loss to the people and the exchequer, the Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs also denied issuing summons in connection with a terror funding case to 40 people who are providing humanitarian support to the farmers’ agitation.
“The Delhi Police have informed that Gazipur, Chilla, Tikri and Singhu borders of the national capital are blocked by agitating farmers and it is causing inconvenience to the residents of Delhi and neighbouring states. In any agitation, there is a financial loss incurred by the people and governments,” said Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy, in response to a question posed by Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai.
The junior minister was also asked about actions taken by the government to remove the blockade at the borders of the national capital. Photographs of police personnel driving nails into roads, pouring concrete to build nearly six-foot-tall barricades, placing heavy metal roadblocks, and fencing entire border areas with concertina wires have flooded social media over the last two days. These steps taken by the Delhi police have been termed as “extreme measures” by many.
In the written reply by the minister, there was no mention of the actions taken by the Centre to remove the protesting farmers who have been living and camping at the border points surrounding Delhi. In response to a separate question posed by Congress MP Syed Nasir Hussain on summons issued to voluntary agencies helping farmer agitation, the minister denied that the NIA and the ED summons to 40 people related to voluntary agencies, groups and individuals who are providing humanitarian support to farmers’ agitation.