Farmers vow to continue protest until demands met

A massive protest was held outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Monday with thousands of farmers, workers, trade unions, youth, women leaders, and activists participating in it. The protest was organised by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and various other organizations to pressure the Central Government to address their demands.

The protesters demanded that the Central Government must take immediate action to save the life of Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a farmer leader who has been on a hunger strike for over the last 25 days. They also called for the repeal of the National Agricultural Marketing Policy, which they claimed is anti-farmer and anti-labourer.

The protest was led by prominent leaders of various organizations, including Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala, President, Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, and Dr Parminder Singh, senior leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugraha.

The leaders accused the Modi-led Central Government of ignoring the concerns of farmers and labourers and instead promoting policies that benefit only corporate interests. They demanded that the Centre should resolve all outstanding issues related to the farmers’ movement, as per the agreement made on December 9, 2021.

The protesters called upon the Punjab Government to withdraw the National Agricultural Marketing Policy and to hold a special session of the Legislative Assembly to discuss the issue.

The SKM warned that if their demands were not met, they would launch a nationwide protest. A meeting will be held in Chandigarh on December 24 to mobilize support for the protest, stated the leaders.

The protest was marked by colourful flags, slogans, and a strong show of solidarity of the participants. The leaders thanked the workers and farmers for their participation and pledged to continue the struggle till their demands are met.