Paddy season fails to deter protesters

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, June 13

The start of paddy transplantation has failed to dampen the spirits of farmers and reduce their numbers at anti-farm law protest sites across the district. All sites are witnessing a healthy gathering, with family members of farmers regularly visiting these.

“Paddy transplantation would end in some days, but our fight against the farm laws would continue till these are repealed. We know it’s our fight to save the future of our coming generations. My husband and two sons are busy in paddy transplantation, while I, along with both my daughter-in-laws, have come here to attend the protest,” said Parminder Kaur, a senior citizen, at a protest site.

Khushpreet Kaur, a Class 11 student, said she, along with her younger sister, had been attending the protest for last two months. “My father and brother are in the field for paddy transplantation. My mother is also there to prepare food for them. But I and my younger sister have been coming here regularly,” she said.

Farmers said they had been working hard to ensure there’s no reduction in numbers. Indefinite protests have been going on at Sangrur, Dirba, Sunam, Kalajhar, Bhawanigarh and Lehragaga areas of the district for the past around 250 days. Besides ensuring attendance, farmers are also making required arrangements of food and milk at the protests sites.

“Farmers have formed various committees to make arrangements,” said Harjinder Singh, a farmer from Sangrur. Gobinder Singh, Sangrur block president of the BKU (Ugrahan) said: “Like other farmers, I have also been attending protests and taking care of my field, as both are of utmost importance for us.”