Farmers Movement Archive

Protesting, making Lohri plans in biting cold

At the Singhu border, farmers remain undeterred even as the temperatures drop, with many who have been protesting at the site for over a month re-asserting that they are ready for the long haul and are even prepared to spend Lohri at the border itself with the “extended family”. Though Lohri is an important festival for many farmers, those camping at the capital’s borders said that “fighting for their rights” was the need of the hour. Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer from Jalandhar district, said, “In the past month, I have visited my wife and daughters just twice. Even the New Year has now started with us sitting in the same place where we were a month ago. If the Prime Minister does not accept our demands then we will celebrate here, at the border itself,” Mr. Singh said. “All these people over here are our brothers. So why not celebrate with this new family that we have made out here?” Another farmer, Manjeet Singh added, “We trust god, and definitely much more than we trust the PM. We have enough reinforcements to last us a year if need be. So we are in no rush. Whenever he [the PM] agrees to our demands, we’ll leave.” While there is “sadness” among the farmers, one will not find “despair”, said Kulwinder Singh, a farmer from Rupnagar district in Punjab. Kesar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib added, “We are not moving from here unless the black laws are removed ... Now that a festival is also around the corner, we will see what to do. Either spend it apart from family members or maybe ask them to join us over here. But there’s no going back.”

The Hindu

2021-01-02

NEW DELHI