Farmers burn Centre’s effigy over demands

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 23

In a show of defiance and frustration, farmers belonging to 18 unions, under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, marked ‘Kisani Dasehra’ by burning symbolic effigies of the Centre to protest the government’s continued disregard for their long-pending demands.

The protest was held in Shahkot here. Similar protests were also held in different parts of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Gurmail Singh, district president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, voiced the sentiments of the farming community.

Singh highlighted the delay in compensation for flood victims, denial of permanent ownership rights for settlers, unfulfilled pledges to combat drug-related issues, lack of attention to debt relief for marginal farmers and elusive justice to martyrs of the Delhi movement and Lakhimpur Khiri incident.

Farmer leaders said in response to the government’s inaction, they had decided to stage protests at toll plazas throughout the state in the month of November.

The farmer leaders reiterated that they had exhausted all avenues to rouse the government from its complacency, underscoring their belief that these administrations primarily serve the interests of large corporate entities while neglecting the welfare of farmers and the general public.

They warned that unless the government takes immediate steps to address their grievances, they would intensify their protests.

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