NDA ally RLP set to march to Delhi with lakhs of farmers against controversial farm laws

Responding to a call given by NDA ally and Nagaur MP, Hanuman Beniwal, thousands of farmers are gathering at Kotputli near Jaipur to march to Delhi on Saturday.

Beniwal, who is the convenor of Rashtriya Loktanrtik Party that has formed an alliance with the BJP at the Centre, had claimed at one of his gatherings that over 2 lakh farmers shall march with him to Delhi.

They will march up to the national capital and stand by the protesting farmers in solidarity of their demands to withdraw three contentious farm laws passed by the central government in September, which they believe will ruin their livelihood.

An RLP worker told IANS: "We shall leave here at 11.30 a.m. for Delhi. Farmers from different parts of the state are gathering here. we will be on Delhi borders to stand in solidarity with our brethren who have been protesting for a month demanding the rollback of controversial farm laws."

A statement issued by the RLP on Friday said that people and farmers from different districts of Rajasthan would gather in Kotputli and would travel towards Shahjahanpur border under the leadership of MP Hanuman Beniwal.

Beniwal then said, "Annadata (farmers) of our country are on streets and hence PM Narendra Modi should show a big heart and withdraw the three farm laws."

Beniwal had earlier written to Union Minister Amit Shah threatening he would reconsider his alliance with the BJP if the farm laws were not withdrawn.

There are theories being floated that Beniwal might announce to break his alliance with the BJP if the farm crisis does not get resolved.

On Friday, the Jaipur-Delhi highway was fully blocked in the wake of farmers protesting at Shahjahanpur which is located on the Rajasthan-Haryana border.

In the wake of rising number of protesters, the Haryana police had blocked the second lane of the highway blocking Delhi-Jaipur highway too. Earlier, the farmers from Rajasthan had blocked one lane of the Jaipur-Delhi highway.