Farmers hold tractor march, call it ‘trailer’

Chandigarh, January 7

A day ahead of the eighth round of talks with the Centre, thousands of protesting farmers today took out a tractor march on the expressways on the periphery of the Capital to exhibit their strength. The farmers have been agitating against the farm laws at various borders of the Capital for over 40 days.

The tractor march started from four points — Singhu to Tikri border; Tikri to Kundli in Sonepat; Ghazipur in UP to Palwal; and Rewasan in Mewat district to Palwal in Haryana. The farm unions called it a “rehearsal” for their proposed January 26 tractor parade.

BKU leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal said today’s rally was to “show the government our numbers”. “We want to warn that our protests will intensify if our demands are not met” warned Lakhowal.

With speakers playing Punjabi music, the farmers drove out in the morning to the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal and Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal Expressways. Initially, they kept one of the lanes free, but soon there was chaos, disrupting traffic. Some tractors carried the Tricolour and some flags of the BKU.

The eighth round of talks between the protesting unions and the Centre is to be held tomorrow. — TNS