Farmers hold tractor march, say govt has time till Friday to repeal agri laws

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7

Ahead of the meeting with Union ministers on Friday, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the government can try as much as it can, but the farmers will not go back home till the three Acts are repealed.

“The government has time till tomorrow. It can make a law on MSP and take back the three laws.

"Today's tractor march was a trailer, the entire movie will be shown on January 26," he said.

Not expecting any breakthrough before the eighth round of talks with the Union Government, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha in a show of strength started took out a tractor rally.

The protesting farm groups started their tractor rally on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway.

Armed with Google maps and contact details of points-persons appointed to guide them, the farmers descended on the KMP from four different locations. Those camping at the Singhu and Tikri borders will be entering the expressway from Kundli and Sampla, respectively. The two groups will then meet mid-way before returning to their respective bases.

Similarly, the farmers camped at the Ghazipur border will meet farmers coming from Rewasan in Palwal and return to their campsites later in the day.

Shingara Singh Maan, president of Haryana unit of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), said the tractor rally was only the start of a long-drawn-out battle for their rights.

“This rally is an example of our strong resolve because we know this will take a long time and we are prepared to sit for many more months. Today’s show of strength will only empower our farmers to join in,” said Maan, who is leading the group from Tikri border towards Palwal.

Maan said they were not expecting any breakthrough from the scheduled eighth round of talks with the Union Government’s representatives led by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

“We don’t think we will get anything substantive from the meeting. Kal kuch nahi hona (nothing significant will come out of the meeting). We have known for a while that this will be a long-drawn-out battle to get those bills repealed and all of us are prepared for that,” he added.

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