Farmers Movement Archive

Take tractors to Bengaluru, farm leaders tell supporters

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait and other leaders from Delhi have called upon people of Karnataka to join the agitation against the “anti-farm laws” by blocking entries to Bengaluru as it had been done in Delhi. Mr. Tikait, addressing the first Raitha Mahapanchayat of South India in Shivamogga on Saturday, said: “You have to create Delhi in Karnataka. This is a long fight and I am confident we will win. We will not give up until the three laws are withdrawn and a law to ensure minimum support price is assured.” He warned that the Centre had a plan to take back land from farmers in the next 20 years. “This is not only the issue of three laws passed. The Centre is bringing more draconian laws related to seeds, pesticides among others. If we don’t fight now, they will bring them all,” he said. Mr. Tikait opined that to make the agitation a success, the slogans “Jai Ram” and “Jai Bheem” should go together. “Farmers and Dalits have to join hands to intensify the protest and succeed in our demands,” he said. Yudhvir Singh, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union, stressed the need for dharnas in Bengaluru. “For you, Delhi is quite far. But, you can travel to Bengaluru with your tractors and block the roads,” he said. In Delhi, he said, the protests had been termed as the agitation of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. But, it was not the protest of farmers alone. “This is the biggest agitation in the world. We have come to Karnataka to convey that people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari are part of the agitation,” he said. Darshan Pal, leader of Krantiveer Kisan Union, exuded confidence that protesting farmers would win. The farmers would not get up from the streets until the three anti-agriculture laws were withdrawn by the Narendra Modi-led government. However, he warned of other possibilities. “Mr. Modi might try to force us to move out. It is not so easy. He has to either bring in tankers or drop bombs from helicopters to remove us from our place. Even then, he will face backlash across the globe,” he said. He stressed the need for bringing all factions of farmers’ organisations together, as had been done in Delhi. He also thanked the farmers of Shivamogga and the organisers of the Mahapanchayat for expressing their solidarity with those on the streets in Delhi. “Farmers in Delhi wanted to know what the farmers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and other States would say about the protest. Now, you have conveyed to us that you are with the protest,” he said. Shobha Sundaresh, wife of late N.D. Sundaresh, a prominent leader of Karanataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, presided over the meeting. Hundreds of farmers from Shivamogga and neighbouring districts attended.

The Hindu

2021-03-21

Shivamogga