Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers rehearse tractor parade for Republic Day in Shamli

MUZAFFARNAGAR: In a show of strength, a large number of farmers moved their tractors from Bidoli checkpost on Haryana-UP border to Shamli's collectorate in a bid to “rehearse” for Republic Day “parade”, they plan to hold in Delhi. Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has been mobilizing farmers of UP to come and participate in the tractor parade they aim to take out on Republic Day to put pressure on the central government to withdraw the three controversial farm laws. So far, talks between farmers’ representatives and the government have been locked in a stalemate. State unit spokesperson of BKU Kuldeep Panwar said Saturday’s tractor march was a rehearsal of what is going to happen on Republic Day in Delhi. "We are rehearsing for the parade on January 26. Thousands of farmers with tractors have been called to take part in the rehearsal. We will go to Delhi on January 24 and will join other farmers there,” said Panwar. Gourav Tikait, BKU leader, said, “It is a practice on how tractors will move on the road on January 26. We have to show those who had called farmers anti-nationalist that we are patriots, not Khalistani or Pakistani. We, the farmers and citizen of India, will march with the national flag on January 26.” The rehearsal is being conducted in various districts of Haryana and Uttar Pardesh, said Tikait. At the collectorate inShamli, farmers handed over a memorandum to Sadar SDM. During the tractor rehearsal, traffic jams were reported on several parts of Shamli.

The Times of India

2021-01-17

Meerut