Punjab farmers take out tractor marches demanding withdrawal of Electricity (Amendment) Bill

Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Monday took out tractor marches at several places in Punjab to press for their demands, including the withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) gave the call for the tractor march on Republic Day, the same day when thousands of farmers protesting against the three now-repealed farm laws had stormed the Red Fort in New Delhi in 2021, with many breaching barricades and clashing with police.

Monday's demonstrations were organised to demand the withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Seeds Bill 2025, the repeal of labour codes, the restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops.

In Hoshiarpur, members of the Doaba Kisan Committee took out a tractor march in Mukerian. It started from the Grain Market at Bhangala and passed through Bhangala Chungi, Mata Rani Chowk, Sugar Mill, and the SDM office before returning to the starting point.

The march was led by Avtar Singh Bobby, president of the committee's Mukerian unit.

At Hoshiarpur's Dasuya, farmers on tractors marched through Verka Chowk, SDM Chowk, Grain Market, Chungi Chowk, and Balagan Chowk, before culminating near the Basra Hospital on Miani road, while at Garhdiwala, farmers marched through the bus stand and Sarhala Morh to the Guru Aasra Ghar at Bahga village.

A similar demonstration was organised at Tanda, where farmers riding more than 60 tractors marched under the leadership of Doaba Kisan Committee president Jangveer Singh Chauhan.

Addressing farmers at Tanda-Urmur, Chauhan and the committee's general secretary, Prithipal Singh Guraiy, slammed the Centre for its "anti-farmer" decisions, accusing it of promoting privatisation of cooperative institutions.

They also warned against the overpricing of fertilisers, demanding strict action against erring dealers.

In Moga, a march was taken out in the Dharamkot area, in which Sukh Gill from Bharti Kisan Union (Totewal), Surat Singh from Hind Kisan Sabha, Sukhwinder Singh Bahramke from BKU (Rajewal), and Mandeep Singh from BKU (Punjab) took part.

The tractor marches concluded without any untoward incident, officials said.