BATHINDA: After agreeing to allow passenger and freight trains to run till December 10, the farmer groups of Punjab have started preparations for mobilising people for their proposed protest in Delhi on November 26 and 27.
The activists are approaching villagers to persuade them to join the Delhi protest and are also collecting ration door-to-door in the Malwa region of the state.
Plans are being made to use every route in Punjab for ‘Dilli Chalo’ and district units being briefed on which route to take.
Will not leave anything to chance to oppose farm laws, says BKU functionary
The farmer groups have identified various routes, including the one via Shambu border in Patiala, Dabwali, Khanouri and Talwandi Sabo. The farmers have been asked to prepare tractor trolleys and get these filled with diesel to avoid last-minute rush at petrol stations and also to preempt any hike, if announced by the government, in diesel prices.
“Our activists are getting ready for the big fight. They have been told about the instructions to be followed while heading towards Delhi. The district units have been asked to take along ration which may be enough for longer durations if they are stopped in the way and not allowed to enter Delhi. In that case, the activists will sit wherever they are stopped and our volunteers are preparing for it,” said farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri.
BKU (Ekta Dakonda) president Buta Singh Burjgill and general secretary Jagmohan Singh said, “It will be a historic march of farmers towards Delhi, as over 2 lakh activists will head towards the national capital. If not allowed to move further, they will sit at places where they are stopped. For us, it is like a do-or-die battle as we feel the new farm laws are like a death warrant for farmers and we (farmers) will not leave anything to chance to oppose these.”
It has been learnt that the Centre is watching the developments minutely and preparing its strategy to deal with the farm protests. Sources said the Union government is deciding on providing a written guarantee to farmers of Punjab regarding the continuation of minimum support price (MSP).
Punjab BJP vice-president Harjit Singh Grewal said, “The Union government has already made it clear that MSP will remain intact. But, if farmers are satisfied only with some written guarantee, the government could even think of issuing an executive order about the MSP to remain in force.”