Farmers Movement Archive

Rallies in Punjab mobilise farmers for tractor parade

Bathinda: Despite Central government ministers proposing to stay implementation of farm laws for 18 months and Delhi police refusing to give permission for the farmers’ tractor parade on January 26, mobilisation for the parade continued in Punjab on Thursday. Tractor marches were taken out in many districts of Punjab’s Malwa region ahead of farmers’ journey towards Delhi borders. Many farmers are expected to start heading out from Punjab in tractors from January 22 if the farmer organisations do not withdraw the proposed parade. A tractor march was carried out in villages adjoining Bhagsar in Muktsar district and in Jaito in Faridkot, which passed through 10 villages. Two tractor marches were taken out in Talwandi Sabo and Maur areas of Bathinda district, which passed through over a dozen villages. “We held tractor march in villages of Bathinda district to mobilise and prepare farmers for the proposed tractor parade. Farmers were very enthusiastic about it,” said BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) Bathinda district general secretary, Harjinder Singh Baggi. “As the central government is testing our patience, we are ready for a bigger fight with the government to ensure the safety of our rights. Farmers are determined to take out the parade on January 26,” said BKU (Ekta Dakonda) leader Chamkaur Singh. Meanwhile, activists of Youth Akali Dal (YAD) burned the effigy of the Central government at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Muktsar against the National Investigative Agency (NIA) sending notices to persons supporting the farmers’ protest.

The Times of India

2021-01-22

Chandigarh