Massive protests erupt in Punjab, Haryana over controversial farm bills

The Bhartiya Kisan Union along with several other organization on Friday blocked highways, railway tracks as they began their nationwide protests and chakkajam to show solidarity against the recently passed farm bills.

In several states, borders have been sealed and additional police force has been deployed to maintain the law and order.

The farmers have warned that the protests will intensify Centre continues to ignore their demand of repealing the bills.

The protests have been backed by opposition parties including Congress, RJD, Trinamool along with 10 central trade unions.

While the protests have erupted across the country, the two most affected states are -- Punjab and Haryana. The two states which share the same capital have called for complete shutdown.

Some farmers disrupted the vehicular movement while other held protest marches across the states. A three-day 'rail roko' protests have also been organized in Punjab at six different locations with over 1,000 protests sitting on the tracks to stop movement of the trains.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said the Congress-led state government supports the farmers and no FIRs will be registered for violation of prohibitory orders across the state.

The key border crossing - Punjab-Haryana border has been sealed near Ambala while barricades have also been put at the NH-1 toll Plaza at in Ludhiana.

Congress Cheif Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala slammed the Centre, saying "three black laws has launchded a brutal attacks on farmers."

"Modi ji has targeted the barns in India". "Today, farmers and farm labourers have called for a Bharat Bandh across the country and under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Party stands firm with them," he added.

Farmers also gathered along a key road in Uttar Pradesh's Noida (which borders national capital Delhi),due to which police have been deployed in the area to stop them from crossing the border. Around 200 farmers were stopped in Noida's Sector 14A, officials said.

In Tamil Nadu farmers protested with human skulls while sitting outside Collector's Office in Trichy.

Voicing against the farm Bills, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted: "The MSPs have been taken away from the farmers. They will be forced to become slaves through contract farming. Farmers will neither get the price nor the honor. They will become a labourer in their own land."

Meanwhile, PM Modi on Friday attacked Opposition of lying to farmers. Addressing BJP workers on an event to mark the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, PM Modi said farmers are being used by oppositions for their own benefits.

He also said that there's a need to explain the bill to the farmers in the simplest form.

"All BJP karyakartas should reach out to the farmers on the ground and inform them in very simplified language about the importance and intricacies of the new farm reforms, how these will empower them. Our ground connect will bust the propaganda being spread in the virtual world," PM Modi said.