Farmers held demonstrations on Delhi borders and other parts of the country on Friday to mark one year of the farmers' protest against the Centre's farm laws.
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the three controversial farm laws would be rolled back. The farmer unions welcomed the move but have said that they would not end their protest till the laws are formally repealed and other demands are met.
With the protest showing no signs of retreat, even after the Centre announced that the three laws would be repealed, farmers are holding several events and protests across the country on Friday.
The protest began with the "Dilli Chalo" programme on November 26 last year. Since then, thousands of farmers have gathered at the borders of the capital New Delhi, in one of the biggest challenges for PM Modi since he came to power in 2014. The rollback of the laws comes just ahead of critical elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Here are the Highlights on Farmers Protest:
Hundreds of farmers in tractors started arriving at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border as Friday marked one year of the ongoing farmers' protest against the central laws.
Many of them brought along vegetables, sacks of flour and lentils, spices and cooking oil on their tractor-trollies, saying they have come prepared for a long haul.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), an influential farmers' union from western Uttar Pradesh, has been leading the charge at the Ghazipur border since November last year.
The BKU is part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a farmers' collective, which is spearheading the protest for withdrawal of three contentious farm laws and for legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) of crops.
Farmers from across the country arrived at the Delhi border on Friday to mark one year of the protest against the Centre's farm laws.
As the farmers' protest completes a year, the Delhi Traffic Police on Friday asked commuters travelling from Ghaziabad towards Delhi to take alternative routes, anticipating traffic gridlock owing to its security arrangements.
Commuters have been advised to take Vikash Marg or GT Road to reach Delhi, police said.
"Traffic coming from Ghaziabad towards Delhi side remains heavy due to barricading by local police at roundabout Gazipur Underpass. Commuters are advised to take alternative Vikash Marg/GT Road to Delhi," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.
As farmers mark one year of protest against the Centre's three farm laws, the President of All India Kisan Sabha Ashok Dhawale on Friday said the protest will continue till demands are fulfilled by the Centre.
While speaking to ANI, Dhawale said, "Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions, has organised protests in different states to mark the first anniversary of the farmers'' movement. The winter session of the Parliament will commence from November 29, the Centre should take actions on Minimum Support (MSP)."
