Farmer unions announce nationwide ‘chakka jam’ on Nov 3

Chaduni said the farmer leaders from south India and other parts of the country who could not attend the meeting will be invited to the next meeting. (File)

Farmer leaders of eight states met in Kurukshetra on Thursday and decided to intensify their agitation against Centre’s controversial agri Acts in the days to come. At the end of their meeting, the leaders announced a nationwide road blockade – chakka jam – on November 3 as part of their plan.

The six-hour long marathon meeting was attended by several farm leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Delhi.

After the meeting BKU Haryana president Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the highways will be blocked from 10 am to 4 pm on November 3. Interestingly, November 3 is also the day when voting for Baroda bypoll in Sonipat district is scheduled.

Chaduni said the farmer leaders from south India and other parts of the country who could not attend the meeting will be invited to the next meeting.

A farmer leader from Uttar Pradesh, V M Singh said the farmer leaders of Punjab will hold a meeting on Friday. “They will decide about the venue and date of next meeting,” he added.

“It’s misunderstanding that this is a stir by the farmers of Punjab and Haryana only. Tell me which state was unaffected from the call of Bharat Bandh, which was observed on September 25. Were Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan not affected? In western UP, the response was more even than in Punjab and Haryana. People are coming out to join the movement because they feel their house is burning and they will burn, if they do not come out,” said VM Singh.

A senior farmer leader from Punjab, Balbir Singh Rajewal, said, “The agitation is at its peak in Punjab. It’s getting support from the entire country. There is not a single section of the society which does not support the agitation in Punjab. This agitation has become a mass movement now. It would be nice, if a call for nationwide stir is given.”

Rampal Jat, a farmer leader from Rajasthan and president of Kisan Mahapanchayat, added: “Farmer organisations across the country were called for today’s meeting to discuss a joint programme. We will come to the battle ground united. We will ask the public representatives (MLAs, MPs) whether they wish to remain with kursi or farmers.”

Dharna in Sirsa continues

Meanwhile, the farmers’ dharna near Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala’s residence in Sirsa continued on Thursday.

On Tuesday, farmers had staged a protest march in Sirsa to demand Dushyant’s resignation. Since then they are on the dharna. Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav and other farm leaders have joined the protesters. The protesters want resignation of Dushyant Chautala so that pressure can be put on the central government against three farm laws.

Dushyant, who is currently in Chandigarh, had tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.

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