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Biju Janta Dal (BJD) on Monday welcomed the farmers' tractor rally on Republic Day but said the protest should be peaceful and added that no activity should be undertaken by protestors that could adversely affect the Republic Day celebrations.
Speaking to ANI, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Prasanna Acharya said, "In a democratic country like India, everyone has the right to speak, hold rallies and that too should be done in a peaceful manner. Farmers have every right to hold a rally. However, it should be peaceful. 26 January is an important day for every Indian. No activity should be undertaken by protestors that could adversely affect the Republic Day celebrations." "It is official information that certain foreign powers, particularly Pakistan, are trying to disrupt peace in India and will not spare any opportunity on such an important occasion to create problems. However, farmers of the country are also patriotic and they must be careful about such issues," the BJD MP added. Senior BJD leader and floor leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, Acharya, criticised political parties who were aiming to take political advantage of farmers agitation. "It is the right of the farmers to speak peacefully, but I sometimes feel that it has become a practice of our political leaders to take advantage whenever there is a chance. I appeal to political leaders that this protest should not be used for political reasons," he added. The Delhi Police on Sunday said that it has allowed farmer unions to hold tractor rally on Republic Day inside the national capital. Officers added that this will be done under strict vigil as they had received intelligence inputs to create "disturbance of peaceful protest". "Three hundred and eight Twitter links were found that were linked to Pakistani handlers. The areas decided have been pointed out in accordance with full-proof security arrangements," the Delhi Police said. Farmers from all across the country are marching towards Delhi in order to take part in the scheduled rally. Tractors from Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan have reached on Tikri border as the farmers sit in for protest for nearly two months. Farmers have been protesting on the 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. (ANI)
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