Farmers protesting at Delhi's Singhu, Tikri, and Ghaziabad borders will take out a victory march today as they return to their villages in Punjab and Haryana after a 15-month protest that forced the centre to drop three contentious farm laws.
Farmers are gradually dismantling their makeshift accommodations along the border as the agitation, which defied natural forces as well as tags like "terrorists" and "khalistanis," comes to an end. They will assemble for some ceremonies before beginning their journey home.
It has been learned that special arrangements have been made along the highways to greet farmers as they returning home on tractors.
The victory march was originally scheduled for yesterday, but it was cancelled due to a devastating helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu that killed 13 people, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that the three laws will be repealed, farmers remained at the protest sites, citing further demands such as a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the dismissal of cases filed against protesting farmers.
They announced their decision to return only after the central government sent a written proposal on the outstanding demands to the five-member committee of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation.
The center has agreed to form a committee to address the MSP issue. The committee will comprise government officials, agricultural specialists, and Kisan Morcha representatives. The government has also promised to drop all police cases against farmers, including stubble burning complaints and those filed by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh police in response to protester clashes.
In response to the Kisan Morcha's demand for compensation for the deaths of 700 farmers during the protest, the center stated that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have given in-principle approval, while Punjab has already made an announcement.
The center's proposal had come after Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to farmer leaders over the phone to discuss outstanding issues.
With the farmers returning home after forcing the government into a climdown, the focus now shifts away from the protest sites on Delhi borders to the Assembly poll arena in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
All eyes will now be on the impact of the farmers' protest, and the relentless attempts to crush it, on the outcome of these polls, particularly in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, where four protesting farmers were allegedly driven over by the son of a Union Minister.
