Farmers plan to intensify protest at Shambhu border

Farmers are set to intensify their protest at Shambhu by holding a gathering on January 6, birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. Meanwhile, various farmer unions seem divided over participation in the “Kisan Mahapanchayat” at Khanauri and a “mahapanchayat” scheduled at Tohana in Haryana, both on January 4.

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Farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, who is leading the agitation at Shambhu even as Jagjit Singh Dallewal continues with his indefinite fast at Khanauri, said they would hold an important meeting on Wednesday at Shambhu and their agitation would continue till all demands of farmers were met.

Following a meeting with farm leaders at Shambhu, Pandher said the morcha leaders had decided to escalate efforts by mobilising more participants at Shambhu. The leadership demanded that the Punjab Government should pass resolutions in the Vidhan Sabha to reject the Centre’s privatisation-driven agricultural marketing policies and support the farmers’ demands.

“We are firm on our demands for the rollback of anti-farmer policies, including the privatisation of agricultural markets. The Bhagwant Mann government should take a decisive action in support of the agitating farmers in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha session. A ‘Delhi March’ will be announced soon as part of their ongoing agitation,” he said.

“Despite a prolonged protest, the government remains unmoved. The morcha has extended invitations to residents of nearby villages in Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib to join the Shambhu event in large numbers on January 6. We will take up all our issues with the gathering on that day,” he said.

Meanwhile, farmer unions are divided as there are two events scheduled for January 4, one at Tohana in Haryana and another at Khanauri. While some leaders are advising union leaders to postpone the Khanauri event by a day or two, some others want the Tohana event to be held later.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have decided to convene a “Kisan Mahapanchayat” at the Khanauri protest site on January 4. Farmers from all over the country, including Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been invited to participate in the mahapanchayat. Dallewal wants to address farmers on January 4.

On the other hand the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmers, has scheduled a “mahapanchayat” in Haryana’s Tohana town of Fatehabad district on January 4, in which over 400 organisations from across the nation are likely to participate. Farm union leaders, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Darshan Pal, Rakesh Tikait, and many other leaders from different states will take part in the “mahapanchayat”.