As thousands of farmers march towards Delhi for a mega protest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has rejected the Centre's proposal to turn a stadium into a space to confine them.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has said the farmers' demands are genuine and denied approval for "converting a stadium into a jail".

Sources from the Union Home Ministry have said no such demand was made. "The request was for a holding area in case the numbers (of farmers) are overwhelming," a source said, as reported by NDTV.

Earlier, Delhi Home Minister Kailash Gehlot responded to Centre's proposal to convert the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Bawana into a space to detain the protesting farmers. "The demands of the farmers are genuine. Secondly, it is the Constitutional right of every citizen to make a peaceful protest. It is, therefore, incorrect to arrest the farmers," he said.

"The Central government, in fact, should invite them over for talks and try to find a solution of their genuine problems. Farmers of the country are our 'annadata' and treating them in this way by arresting them would be like rubbing salt into their wounds. We cannot be a party to this decision of the Central Government," the minister added.

The farmers are protesting over several demands, including a law to guarantee a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops, pension and insurance benefits.

Talks between the farmers and Centre have not made a breakthrough after several rounds of meetings.

The national capital has been turned into a fortress to stop the farmers from entering the city. Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been sealed. From cement barriers to sandbags to tyre deflators, cops are going all-out to stop the farmers at the border.