Protesting farmers being treated as terrorist: Sanjay Raut

Mumbai : Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, on Sunday, lashed out at the Central government for allegedly treating the protesting farmers as terrorists. 

"The way farmers have been stopped from entering Delhi... it looks as if they do not belong to this country. They have been treated like terrorists. Since they are Sikh and come from Punjab or Haryana, they are called Khalistani. It is an insult to farmers," Mr Raut was quoted by news agency ANI.

Farmers from several states like UP, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan started marching towards the national capital on Thursday. They were stopped by the police officials at the border with the help of water canons, teargas shelters and forces.

Undeterred, the farmers finally reached the Delhi border on Friday morning, and have since set up camp at various spots around the national capital's outskirts.

Sunday evening, the protestors rejected Amit Shah’s offer to open talks on a pre condition that they move their protest to a government designated area.

The farmers said they feared getting trapped in open air jails; Delhi Police, which is controlled by the centre, had earlier suggested stadiums be converted to jails.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi in his monthly radio address – Mann Ki Baat – said that the laws had "unshackled" the farmers - comments farmers themselves view with skepticism, as they have his verbal assurances that the government practice of MSP will continue.