Farmers halt at grain market before leaving for SKM’s mahapanchayat
Ravinder Saini
Rohtak, March 14
A large number of farmers, including women, from Punjab reached the new grain market in Rohtak in buses on Wednesday night. They spent the night there before leaving for Delhi to attend a mahapanchayat organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in support of their demand of legal guarantee of MSP.
Majority of them belonged to Muktsar and Sangrur region. They also brought ration, clothes, mats, blankets and daily use items with them, in case of any emergency. They slept on the roofs of buses and on the ground, under the grain market’s shed .
“All farmers are members of BKU (Ugrah) and have halted at the grain market here to rest and have dinner. We have brought dry ration and other items with us to prepare food for the night,” said Gurpash Singh, a leader of the BKU from Muktsar.
He maintained that majority of the farmers who reached there were also part of the dharna staged at Bahadurgarh-Tikri border for over 13 months in 2021 against the three farm laws. Hence, they were familiar with the culture and living standards of the people of Haryana, especially Rohtak and Jhajjar districts.
Gurpash said that many other farmers were also staying in Sampla town and the farmers’ dharna spot in Titoli village. “The legal guarantee to the MSP is our main demand. We are ready for any sacrifice needed to get it fulfilled, as it will prove instrumental in the welfare of farmers,” he added.
Jagsher Singh, another farmer, complained that they had taken permission from the district authorities for a night’s stay in the grain market, but toilet and potable water facilities were not made available to them. However, a police vehicle was stationed there to ensure security, he added.
