SKM to intensify stir, plan for phase 3 on Feb 28

Tribune News Service

Sonepat, February 21

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Sunday announced its decision to intensify the protest in days to come. Farmer leaders Inderjeet Singh, Yogendra Yadav, Prem Singh Bhangu, Ashok Dhavle, Harender Singh Lakhowal and Ramzan Chaudhary said they would observe ‘Pagdi Sambhal Diwas’ on February 23 in memory of Swami Sehjanand Saraswati, a farmer leader, and Ajit Singh, uncle of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and founder of ‘Pagdi Sambhal’ movement.

Protest calendar

• Farmer leaders said they would observe ‘Pagdi Sambhal Diwas’ on February 23
• The SKM would observe February 24 as ‘Daman Virodhi Diwas’
• They said they had decided to observe February 26 as ‘Yuva Kisan Diwas’
• February 27 would be observed as ‘Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Diwas’

The farmer leaders gave a call to mark the day by placing banners of Ajit Singh on tractors and other vehicles and by wearing turbans at the morchas. The farmers’ movement would enter the third phase and its plan would be announced on February 28, they added. Yadav said they were always ready for talks and had never rejected any invitation by the government , but the government should invite farmers to talks.

The SKM would observe February 24 as ‘Daman Virodhi Diwas’ (anti-repression day) against the tactics of the Union government to suppress the farmers’ movement. Bhangu said the day would be observed to raise four demands — release of arrested farmers, withdrawal of cases registered, withdrawal of notices issued by the Delhi Police and removal of barricades on state borders.

Lakhowal said they had decided to observe February 26 as ‘Yuva Kisan Diwas’ (youth farmers’ day). He said they had given a call to the youth to reach the Delhi borders as they would manage the stage at SKM protest sites that day. February 27 would be observed as ‘Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Diwas’ to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Ravi Das and martyrdom anniversary of Chandra Shekhar Azad, said a farmer leader. Farmer leaders paid tributes to Datar Singh, president of the Kirti Kisan Union, who died this evening.