Farmers protest: Kejriwal government declines Centre's appeal to turn stadium into jail

Amid the farmers' march towards the national capital, the Delhi government on Tuesday (Feb 13) refused to accept the proposal submitted by the central government to convert Bawana Stadium into a jail.

Speaking about the proposal of the Central government, Delhi Government Home Minister Kailash Gehlot said that the demands raised by the farmers are genuine.

"The demands of the farmers are genuine. It is the constitutional right of every citizen to make a peaceful protest. It is therefore incorrect to arrest the farmers," he said.

"The Central government, in fact, should invite them over for talks and try to find a solution to their genuine problems. Farmers are our 'annadata' and treating them in this way by arresting them would be like rubbing salt into their wounds. We cannot be a party to this decision of the central government. Hence, approval cannot be given for converting a stadium into a jail," Gehlot added.

Here's what farmers have been demanding in the 2024 protest

The farmers in 2020 were protesting against the three laws which were finally repealed in 2021. In 2023, Delhi Chalo was announced with the demand of a legal guarantee to MSP for all crops, full debt waiver for farmers, withdrawal of cases filed against farmers during the 2020-21 protest, the implementation of Swaminathan Commission's formula and pension for farmers and labourers.

Various unions have been spearheading the farmer's protest 2.0 as the landscape of the farmers' unions has changed in the last few years. Delhi Chalo 2.0 has been announced by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha and Bhartiya Kisan Union, which led the 2020 protest of the farmers, went through several factionalisms.

Watch:Farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' March: Thousands of agitating farmers en route to Delhi

Rakesh Tikait and Gurnam Singh Charuni were the two main leaders who led the 2020 protest. However, they have been missing from the current protest. Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committeeand Jagjit Singh Dallewal, leader of SKM (non-political) are at the forefront currently.

In 2020, the farmers had entered the national capital. However, this time the administration has adopted strict pre-emptive measures to stop them from entering Delhi. They have used nails on roads, cement barricades and barbed wire to block all roads to Delhi. The government has imposed Section 144 across the capital.

The Haryana government has also sealed its borders along with Punjab. The negotiation process before the start of the farmers' Delhi Chalo march was initiated by the government.

(With inputs from agencies)