Farmers take centre stage at Maghi Mela

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, January 14

The three farm laws took centre stage in the Maghi Mela here today. Though no political party held any event, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha held a conference on Malout Road.

Despite biting cold and fog, a large number of farmers, including women and elderly people, came to the venue – the SGPC land, where the SAD (Badal) usually holds its political conference.

The organisers had not even erected any tent and the farmers sat in the open. A majority of them were holding the farmer union flags, wearing green turbans and mufflers. Notably, the farmers had just last night announced to hold the conference.

BKU (Sidhupur) state president Jagjit Singh Dallewal said: “We are not going to win Delhi in a single day on January 26. The fight will last until the farm laws are repealed. Thus the march has to be carried out in a peaceful manner. Even the farmers will take out similar marches at the district headquarters on Republic Day.”

He added, “The ongoing stir is a non-political movement. Nearly 450 farmer unions are part of this stir and collectively take every decision.”

Meanwhile, some youngsters took out a protest march in the town, demanding the repeal of the farm laws. Gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana, too, mobilised people to participate in the tractor march on January 26.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker and Congress MLA Malout Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Gidderbaha MLA Amarinder Singh Raja Warring along with the district leadership of the party paid obeisance at the gurdwara Darbar Sahib here today.

AAP MLAs led by farmer wing head Kultar Singh Sandhwan, too, paid obeisance at the gurdwara and prayed for the success of the ongoing farmers’ stir and partook langar. State AAP president Bhagwant Mann, who was supposed to join the MLAs, was not present on the occasion.

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