Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh hold tractor march against WTO, seek MSP

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, February 26

The solidarity among farmers for the ongoing agitation resonated beyond Punjab as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana farmers joined the tractor march on the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) today.

May pitch tents on highways: Rakesh Tikait

Tractors have come out on roads and farmers may also pitch tents on highways, if required. The government should accept our demands. Rakesh Tikait, BKU (Tikait) leader

The protesting farmers also burnt effigies of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which, they said, was preventing the Indian Government from procuring farm produce on MSP beyond a certain limit.

This is for the first time that the SKM, an umbrella body of around 40 farmer organisations, has lent support to Punjab farmers, who have been protesting under the banner of SKM (Non-Political) since February 13.

The SKM had given a call for the nationwide tractor march from 12 pm to 4 pm in around 400 districts of the country under which farmers were instructed to park their tractors along the highways to express solidarity with farmers protesting in Punjab and Haryana.

BKU (Tikait) leader Rakesh Tikait said, “Tractors have come out on the roads and farmers may also pitch tents on highway, if required. The government should accept our demands.” He, however, clarified that there was no plan to move towards Delhi for now.

In western UP, traffic disruptions were widespread as farmers organised tractor march in Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Hapur and Amroha, blocking highways’ left lanes by parking tractors.

The SKM slammed the Centre and the Haryana Government for opening fire and assaulting farmers at the Khanauri border.

The police had imposed prohibitory orders and deployed additional personnel at key entry and exit points of Delhi and Noida.

In Haryana, the call evoked good response as demonstrations were held at over 50 locations in the state. In Punjab, members of the BKU (Rajewal), BKU (Qadian), BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held demonstrations at various locations. Effigies of the WTO were burnt at Shambhu and Khanauri borders.