Protesting farmers to hold 'tractor march' at four borders of Delhi today

New Delhi, Jan 07: Thousands of agitating farmers on Delhi's borders demanding repeal of three contentious farm laws will carry out a tractor march on Thursday, converging on the eastern and western peripheral expressways that form a ring around Delhi.

In view of the tractor rally, the traffic has been diverted at the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, which is also known as the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal Expressway. The 135-km-long six-lane road connects Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

However, they will not enter Delhi, farm leaders said on Wednesday.

"This will be a dress rehearsal for the tractor parade by farmers on Republic Day in the national capital," said Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India who is among the coordinators of the protest.

In an attempt to end the stalemate, the farmer representatives and the government will hold next round of talks on January 8.

Farmers, primarily from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding repeal of the laws, and a legal guarantee on minimum support prices for their crops, among other issues. The farmers announced last week that if their demands were not met, they will march in their tractors at Rajpath on Republic Day, where India's annual military parade and cultural programme is held on January 26.