Celebrations at Ghazipur border, crowd expected to swell after farm laws repeal announcement

The BKU, which is leading the protest at Ghazipur, said the protest will not be withdrawn until the laws are repealed in Parliament

Celebrations erupted Friday morning at Ghazipur - a landmark farm laws' protest site at Delhi border - with the Centre's announcement that the contentious legislations will be repealed.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), which is leading the protest at Ghazipur, however, said the stir will not be withdrawn until the laws are repealed in parliament.

Hundreds of farmers were seen offering sweets to each other at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border to celebrate the "half victory" of their almost year-long protest.

"We had two main demands. All the three 'black' farm laws be repealed and a legal guarantee ensured for minimum support price (MSP) for crops through a new law. Our protest will continue till both these demands are met," BKU spokesperson Saurabh Upadhyay told PTI.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the three farm laws were for the benefit of farmers, but "we could not convince a section of farmers despite best efforts".

Also Read | Timeline of farmers' protest against three farm laws

The goal of the three farm laws was to empower farmers, especially small farmers, he said.

"This is just the first victory which has come because of the unity of farmers, their sacrifices and struggles," BKU media in-charge Dharmendra Malik said.

"Although this victory took the sacrifice of lives of over 700 of our farmers. The government is responsible for their martyrdom. It was only the prime minister's arrogance as it has been proved today that if he wanted, the laws could have been repealed," he claimed in a statement.

Malik also lamented that during the course of the protest, farmers have been called names and dubbed as 'Khalistanis' or 'Andolanjeevi', but the farming community never lost its patience.

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Sunil Pradhan, a BKU office bearer from Gautam Buddh Nagar district, said the crowd at Ghazipur is expected to swell manifold later Friday.

"Many people have gone to Garh Mukteshwar to attend the Kartik fair and would return after taking a dip in the Ganga," he said.

"Celebrations have already begun at Ghazipur. But this is just half victory as other issues, including law on MSP, are yet to be solved," Pradhan told PTI.

On other matters related to farmers, the BKU said the prime minister must express grief in parliament over the loss of lives of protestors.

The farmers union also highlighted the shortage of fertilisers in several parts of the country.

"There is shortage of fertilisers in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, among other states. There is irregularity and black marketing in their supply which is another challenge faced by the farmers," Upadhyay said.

The BKU added that further decision on the protest would be taken by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). The BKU is part of the SKM, a farmers' collective which has been leading the protest at Delhi's borders.

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