Build bridges, not walls: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the government over barricades and roadblocks set up at farmer agitation sites on Delhi's borders, and asked the Centre to "build bridges and not walls".

Farmers' protest sites at Delhi's borders have turned into fortresses with police beefing up security and strengthening barricades. Iron rods have been hooked between two rows of cement barriers on a flank of the main highway at the Singhu border to further restrict the movement of protesters, agitating against the new farm laws. Another portion of the highway at the Delhi-Haryana border is practically blocked as a makeshift cement wall has come up there.

At Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, there are multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles. Barbed wire has also been put up to keep off people on foot. "GOI, Build bridges, not walls!" Gandhi said on Twitter, posting pictures of barricades and road blocks at farmer protest sites. The Congress has been demanding that the Centre should talk to the protesting farmers and repeal the three farm laws, against which they have been protesting.

Farmer unions on Monday announced a countrywide 'chakka jam' on February 6 when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest against the Internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, and other issues.