Farmers protest in Delhi today: Arvind Kejriwal likely to meet protesting farmers at Singhu Border

Farmers protest in Delhi today: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to visit the Singhu border on Monday, where thousands of farmers are protesting against the Centre's new farm laws.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had on Sunday extended its support to the 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmers' organisations on December 8.

"Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will visit Singhu Border along with his cabinet ministers later in the day," an AAP functionary said.

On Sunday, Kejriwal had said that all AAP workers across the country will support the nationwide strike and appealed to all citizens to support the farmers.

Undeterred by an ongoing cold wave, farmers continue to camp at Singhu border (Haryana-Delhi border) as their protest against the Central government`s farm laws entered the twelfth day on Monday. Hundreds of farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws--Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The protests have disrupted normal lives in Delhi-NCR as several borders linking Delhi to cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are closed. At the Chilla border on Noida link road and Gazipur border on NH 24 has been closed for traffic due to farmers protests. Delhi Traffic Police has advised people to avoid Noida link road and NH 24 for coming to Delhi and use Apsara/ Bhopra/DND. Tikri and Jharoda borders are closed for any traffic movement. Badusarai border is open only for light motor vehicles like cars and two-wheelers while Jhatikara border is open only for two-wheeler traffic. At present, Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders are open while Singhu, Auchandi, Piao Maniyari, Mangesh borders are closed. NH 44 has been closed on both sides and the police has advised people to take alternate routes via Lampur, Safiabad and Saboli borders. Traffic has also been diverted from Mukarba and GTK road and people have been advised to avoid Outer Ring road and GTK road. Farmers` leaders have held several rounds of talks with the government but all of them remained inconclusive so far. After the fifth round of talks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has called another meeting on December 9.

Meanwhile, a nationwide shutdown has been called by the protesting farmers on December 8. Opposition parties, including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Shiv Sena and National Congress Party (NCP) also supported the call for `Bharat bandh`. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which left the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest against farm laws, has also announced to lend its support to Bharat Bandh. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has also announced that her party will support the "Bharat bandh".