Sowing done, farmers head to Delhi to mark year of protest

Sources said big cavalcades of farmers from Punjab and Haryana will be moving to the borders of Delhi on November 25 and 26.

Jind BKU president, Azad Palwa, told The Indian Express, “Almost 70 per cent of the farmers have completed the sowing of wheat. So, now they are again ready to go and camp at the borders of Delhi in large numbers. The huts, which were empty at the borders for the past several months, will again be full with agitators. From Jind district alone, at least five cavalcades of vehicles — including tractors, jeeps and cars — will be moving to the national capital on November 26.”

At a dharna venue in Uchana town, the farmers from Haryana will be welcoming their Punjab counterparts on teh afternoon of November 25.

“We have reports that at least 50,000 farmers will be part of a cavalcade that will move to Delhi via Patiala-Jind-Delhi national highway,” said Palwa.

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Haryana unit leader, Inderjit Singh, added, “A cavalcade of vehicles will march towards Delhi from Dabwali of Haryana’s Sirsa district on November 25 via the Sirsa-Hisar-Delhi National Highway. On the same day, a second cavalcade will move to Delhi via the Patiala-Jind-Delhi National Highway. A third cavalcade will move to Delhi from Ambala’s Shambhu border via GT road (Ambala-Delhi national highway).”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last week announced that the three farm laws will be repealed. But the farmers now want a law to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops apart from withdrawal of the cases lodged against them during the year-long agitation. The agitators are also demanding removal of Union minister, Ajay Mishra, in connection to the massacre in Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh.
With the Union government having agreed to their principal demand of repealing the three farm laws, the farmers said they now feel confident that their other demands will be addressed too. They said that the upcoming Assembly polls in five states will also be instrumental in putting pressure on the ruling BJP at the Centre.

The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the current farmers’ agitation against the three contentious farm laws has already announced that as many as 500 chosen protesters will move to the Parliament daily from November 29 till the Winter Session concludes this year. The SKM has also called for massive mahapanchayats in state capitals on November 26. Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan will also gather at the borders of Delhi on that day to participate in the mahapanchayats.

Chhotu Ram’s birth anniversary celebrated
Farmers agitating against the three contentious laws on Wednesday celebrated the birth anniversary of peasants’ leader Sir Chhotu Ram as Mazdoor Sangharsh Diwas at various dharna venues.
At a dharna venue at Tehsil Complex in Uchana, the protesters remembered the contribution of Chhotu Ram in the upliftment of farmers.

At another dharna being staged by the lawyers in support of farm agitators in Hisar, sweets were distributed to celebrate what the protesters deemed was a victory for farmers on the issue of the three farm laws.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the SKM said, “Sir Chhotu Ram’s birth anniversary was celebrated with enthusiasm and respect at the morcha sites and elsewhere as Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Diwas. He is well known for his work on raising peasant consciousness and uniting them across religious and caste boundaries in the early 20th century. After winning in provincial elections and becoming a Revenue Minister, Sir Chhotu Ram brought in statutory changes to stop usury, to restore land to the tillers and to free up farmers from indebtedness. SKM pays its deep respects to Sir Chhotu Ram and the inspirational legacy that he left behind.”