Farmers stir: SKM announces daily tractor rally to Parliament during winter session

The Winter session of Parliament will begin on November 29 and go on till December 23.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have been protesting against the controversial laws, which were stayed by the Supreme Court in January, at the Delhi borders since November 26 last year.

The protests began on November 25 last year, when thousands of farmers — mainly from Punjab and Haryana — marched towards the national capital demanding a complete repeal of the legislations, as part of a “Dilli Chalo” campaign.

The SKM, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions leading the stir, announced the tractor march after it held a meeting in Delhi. Farmer leaders, who were present in the meeting, said that those participating in the tractor march will sit wherever the police will stop them.

The SKM has also called for massive mahapanchayats in state capitals on November 26.

Farmer leader and a representative of the Rashtriya Kisan Majdoor Sabha Abhimanyu Kohar said that farmers will sit in protest wherever the Delhi Police stops them on their way to Parliament. “In today’s meeting, only the tractor rally was decided. Modalities about the route and permission will be decided in a few days. On our way to Parliament, if the police stop us we will sit wherever we will be stopped.” Kohar told PTI.

He said that the tractor march will be peaceful and taken out in a disciplined manner.

In a statement, SKM said that it will observe one year of the movement on and after November 26 in a massive way all over India. It also  said that on November 26, there will be huge mobilisations from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan at all the Delhi borders.

“All farm unions in the SKM will mobilise farmers in strength for this occasion. Huge public meetings will be held there (at borders) that day. Homage will be paid to more than 650 martyrs in this struggle so far,” it said.

This will be done to “increase the pressure” on the central government “to force it to concede the demands for which farmers across the country have launched a historic struggle”, it said.

Earlier in March too, farmers had taken out a foot march to Parliament to oppose the contentious three farm laws.

The three laws–  The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020– were passed by Parliament in September last year.

(With PTI inputs)