Farmers Movement Archive

Govt. unnecessarily linking Disha to Khalistan: farmers

Protesting farmers at the Singhu border said the arrest of climate change activist Disha Ravi was wrong and there was no possibility of her to be linked to “Khalistan” or “Khalistani movement”. Gurjant Singh (67) from Moga said: “She is a south Indian girl. Why would she be concerned with Khalistan and the movement? They’re unnecessarily linking her to Khalistan”, adding that the government, “from the very beginning” is trying to link the protest with Khalistan. “We are not and never associated with any such movement. We are only here for our rights”. Jaswant Singh said that the “government has reached a new low” by authorising arrests of young women like Ms. Ravi and activist Nodeep Kaur, who is also lodged in jail. “If we were Khalistanis and had weapons, why would we sit here peacefully? By arresting young women who are supporting the farmer’s protest, they are trying to scare us but they don’t know that our women are prepared to be arrested if that’s what their plan is,” he said. ‘Will favour us’ Some farmers said that the arrest, though wrong, will work in their favour. “With these arrests, they’re bringing more attention towards us. Also, the UNO is watching everything. Even if we lose, we’ll complete three months of protest within a few days and make a record,” said a protester from Maharashtra.

The Hindu

2021-02-18

NEW DELHI