Delhi Chalo: Farmers stage dharna at Singhu border for second consecutive day

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Sonepat, November 28

Thousands of farmers staged dharna at the Singhu border for a second consecutive day on Saturday. Farmer unions have decided to stay on the border till their demands were not met.

The UP farmers also joined the protest at the Singhu border on Saturday.

Around 12-km jam was witnessed on the NH-44 due to ongoing protest, putting commuters at inconvenience as they were forced to walk for 5 to 10 km.

Sant Gopal Das also reached the Singhu border to extend support to the farmers.

Meanwhile, the leaders of various farmer unions decided that they would continue their dharna at the border and would not move to Delhi.

BKU spokesperson Rakesh Bains said during a meeting of the Kissan Sanyukt Morcha on Saturday Balbir Singh Rajowal announced to “stay at the borders”.

The next move of the farmers would be decided after a meeting on Sunday, he said.

Gurnam Singh Charuni said that the farmers had blocked the entry into Delhi at two borders, and if their demand was not met they would block all the borders with Delhi.

Meanwhile, the farmers from Uttar Pradesh (UP) under the banner of BKU (Asli) also joined the protest at Singhu border. They were led by the state unit president Harpal Singh Balari.

Chander Prakash Yadav, state vice-president of BKU (Asli) from UP, claimed that they had been detained and kept in a temporary jail at a college at Chandrawali in Bulandshahr by the UP Government for the past two days.

He also alleged that the UP Police snatched the keys of their vehicles so that they couldn’t join the protest.

“However, we reached the Singhu border and around 70 vehicles are with us,” he said.

Anand Singh Dahiya, a farmer leader from Kharkhoda, also extended support to Punjab’s farmers and said they would supply milk and vegetables to the protesting farmers.

He also said they would not send vegetables to Delhi for now.

Jagtar Singh Kailey of Moga in Punjab said they had come to Singhu border with 4-5 months ration and would stay at the protest site till the Union Government did not revoke the “black” farm laws.

Malkeet Singh of Patiala said that they would not return home till their demands were not met.

“We have sufficient ration in our vehicles. Our farmer leaders have decided to stay at the border and we will not move from here,” he said.