Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi: Farmers find strength in numbers, hope their protest will reap result

NEW DELHI: At Singhu border, the epicentre of the farmers’ protests, thousands poured in over the last 24 to 48 hours, and the crowd was visibly larger on Tuesday, the day of the Bharat bandh. Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan arrived, buoyed by the big support they have been getting from different sections. As they crowded the main stage at Singhu border on Tuesday, the mood was celebratory, and the farmers were determined not to budge until the central government met their demands. Maninder Singh, who came from Patiala, claimed the number of protestors had gone up by a third in the past 24 hours. “Those who had gone home also returned and have brought back more people. Obviously, many farmers stayed back in their own states to ensure the success of the Bharat bandh locally. We hope there is a positive impact of this bandh,” said Maninder. Maan Singh of Ferozepur has been at the border for a week now. Pointing out how more people from his village had reached Singhu in the last couple of days, Maan Singh said, “Each day the protest grows stronger. One would presume the people would begin tiring and head back to their villages, but the opposite has been happening, more people are arriving.” Pargat Singh from Sirsa in Haryana said big troupes had arrived from Rajasthan. “They have only recently finished harvesting and have started coming in large numbers. People from different states are all supporting the bandh,” Pargat claimed. Indeed, one could see fresh groups negotiating their way past the maze of tractor-trolleys lined up on several kilometres on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, stopping at tents providing free langar and other essentials. Harvinder Singh Brar, a volunteer at one of the langar tents, confided there was enough food supplies to last the protestors a month. Rishpal Singh Tomar, who arrived from Ludhiana, said he was hopeful the nationwide strike would benefit them. “Shopkeepers and unions of all sorts have helped us make the bandh successful. We hope the government senses the mood of the nation,” Tomar added. Most shops in the vicinity of the protest site remained shut and even the temporary stalls that had cropped up were missing on Tuesday. Some, however, cashed in to make a quick profit. Prince Kumar Arora, 20, who has been selling slippers to the demonstrators, made a profit of Rs 1,000 during the day. “We do want to support the farmers, but since so many of them are here, I want to sell them things they need,” said Arora wryly.

The Times of India

2020-12-09

Delhi