After the farmers’ three-hour Chakka Jam staged to demonstrate against the Centre's three contentious farm laws came to a peaceful end, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Saturday, 6 February, said that the farmer unions are giving the central government 'time' till 2 October to scrap the legislations.
He said, "We have given time to the government till 2 October to repeal the laws. After this, we will do further planning,” news agency ANI quoted.
“We won't hold discussions with the government under pressure," Tikait added.
2 October also marks the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The protesting farmers staged a 'chakka jam' or road blockade on Saturday, in a bid to demand a complete repeal of the laws passed last September. The blockade was observed from 12 pm to 3 pm at 33 places and in 15 districts except Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, NDTV reported.
Visuals depicted farmers camped across highways with their tractors, while also moving barricades aside and allowing ambulances and emergency vehicles pass with minimum fuss, the report added.
Last week, following the violence during the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day, Tikait's emotional outburst on the evening of 28 January proved to be a major turning point in the farmers' protest against the Centre's farm laws, as more farmers arrived at the protest site.
The day of the blockade marks over 72 days of the protest, which has seen multiple rounds failed talks with the NDA government. While the government has expressed possibility for amendments and given a 1.5-year stay on laws, the farmers’ bodies have been agitating for the complete revocation of the laws.
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