Farmers burn effigies of Modi govt

Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Ekta (BKE) gathered at Subhash Chowk in Sirsa, led by Prakash Memeran and Angrej Singh Kotli on Friday. They staged a protest and burnt effigies of the Modi government, blaming it for the deteriorating health of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 46 days at the Khanauri Morcha. Dallewal, a key member of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, has been protesting for the implementation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee law and other long-standing demands of the farmers.

Memeran criticised the government for ignoring the farmers' justified demands and said that the arrogance of power had led to this dire situation. Since February 13, the farmers had been protesting at Khanauri, Shambhu, and Ratanpur borders. Dallewal’s health continued to worsen and the situation had become critical, yet the Modi government remained silent.

Angrej Singh Kotli added that effigies of the Modi government were being burned in villages across India to show anger against the government’s inaction. The farmers had planned more action on January 13. They would burn copies of the new agricultural policy and on January 26, they would hold a massive tractor march to support Dallewal and continue their fight for their rights.

Prominent farmers, including Gurjeet Mann, Sardool Singh Moriwala, Vinod Jandu, and others, joined the protest and pledged their support for the cause.