Ongoing farmers’ protests took a dramatic twist on Monday morning after a tractor was set on fire right in front of India Gate in Delhi. According to officials, the incident reportedly took place around 7.30 AM.
Many farmers were seen staging a protest by holding placards of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh with the burnt tractor in the background. The development near India Gate was the most significant in the current farmers’ agitation over the Farm Bill, controversially passed through the parliament and approved by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Monday’s development also triggered a political war of words with Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh telling NDTV, “If it’s my tractor and I want to burn it… what is their problem?”
BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav tweeted, “Farmers venerate their farm equipment. They don’t set tractors on fire. This burning of tractors by Congress and other opposition parties in the name of farmers is shameful. Don’t use India’s food producers for your politics.”
However, netizens sought to draw home a point on the significance of today’s development, highlighting how a tractor was the most important tool for farmers and its burning showed immense anger amongst them.
Tractor set on fire on Rajpath, New Delhi. India Gate in the backdrop. This is where India displays its fire power on 26 January. Protesters holding picture of Bhagat Singh on the day of his martyrdom. Will this be the defining image of new India? pic.twitter.com/0gnTUeVrXg
— Nagendar Sharma (@sharmanagendar) September 28, 2020
Maybe now they’ll consider amendments to the #FarmBills? Fire of farmers’ displeasure has literally come to the seat of the government now.#KarnatakaBandh https://t.co/STsyMV47i7
— Priyal (@priyal_says) September 28, 2020
This is the anger of farmers against this bill, don’t measure with logics . There is no logic behind this bill also. In democracy every one can demonstrations anger on political issues by any act but it should harm others . What harm he has done by burning his tractor? Tell us
— Capt Amar Jeet Kumar (@AmarCapt) September 28, 2020
According to the Delhi Police, they are trying to identify those involved in the tractor burning incident since the area falls under a highly protected zone and is barely a few hundred meters away from the parliament building.