Farmers take out protest march on Republic Day

On the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmers of various organisations took out a tractor march in the city on Republic Day to press their long-standing demands. Their demands include the implementation of MSP guarantee law, complete loan waiver, subsidised electricity and withdrawal of cases registered for stubble burning, justice for Lakhimpur Kheri victims and others.

Farmers also raised the issue of their leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since November 26 at the Khanauri border, and demanded that the government should accept the demands being raised by Dallewal and others.

Farmers assembled at Ramleela Ground around 12 pm with their tractors decorated with Indian flags and started a march, which passed through various roads of the city and concluded outside the mini-secretariat. The farmers demanded that their demands be resolved at the earliest.

“On Republic Day, farmers across the state organised tractor marches at the district level on the call of the SKM. Protests were conducted peacefully to press our long-standing demands,” said Bahadur Singh Mehla, spokesperson, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sir Chhotu Ram).

He said that legal guarantee for the MSP was a long-standing demand and the government was misleading farmers by making false claims on the purchase of 24 crops on MSP.

“By ignoring farmers' demands, the government has compelled them to hold tractor march on Republic Day. It made several attempts to suppress the farmers’ movement, but it has become stronger,” he said.

Surinder Singh Ghuman, district president, BKU (Tikait), said that their tractor march was peaceful. “Our main aim is to highlight the long-standing demands of the farming community. The government should implement these demands for the larger interest of the farmers,” he said.

Surender Sangwan, a senior farmer leader of the BKU (Tikait), said that the Union Government, through the state governments, was attempting to privatise mandis and bring back the scrapped farm laws in another form, which would not be accepted.