Farmers Movement Archive

Thousands of farmers from Terai belt head to Ghazipur for tractor parade on Republic Day

RUDRAPUR: Around 7,000 farmers from Terai region, regarded as Uttarakhand’s rice bowl, left for Delhi on Saturday to join the tractor parade which farmers will be holding at Ghazipur border. The farmers, hailing from villages like Kashipur, Bazpur, Gadarpur, Kichha, Sitarganj and Khatima of Udham Singh Nagar district left their villages in the morning and were expected to reach Ghazipur by late night. Residents of some villages in the district also joined them. Vishwajeet Singh, descendant of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was part of the group that left from Bazpur. “Fighting for the right cause and not giving in to injustice is in our blood. We have vowed at Bhagat Singh’s statue to not come back till the laws are repealed,” he said. A convoy of over 150 tractors started its journey from Maharaja Palace banquet hall in Bazpur. In Kashipur, more than 3,000 farmers in over 500 tractors assembled at New Grain Mandi at Moradabad road and headed for the national capital through Aliganj road. The farmers did not face any resistance from police in Uttarakhand or Uttar Pradesh. Superintendent of Police (SP) city, Devendra Pincha said that barricades had been placed at the Rudrapur-Rampur border and vehicles were checked on Saturday but all were let through. “It was never our intention to stop the farmers from joining the march in Delhi. We conducted checking of the vehicles to make sure no anti-social element infiltrates the movement and no one carries arms or weapons to the protest site,” the SP said. Tejender Singh Virk, president of the Terai Kisan Sabha, said that tractors had been loaded atop trolleys to save fuel and let more vehicles reach the capital. “Our ground-level volunteers organised bike and tractor rallies in villages for several days. They went to every nook and corner to get more people to join the rally planned in Delhi on January 26,” Virk told TOI over phone. State president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) youth wing Ravindra Singh Rana said, “We have packed enough ration and other necessary items to last us at least two months at Ghazipur border. We intend to stay after the parade. We have hoisted the tricolour on each tractor and being part of the Republic Day rally is a matter of immense pride for us.” Ajit Randhawa, a farmer leader, said the trolleys attached to the tractors have been converted into makeshift homes. “Most farmers are already camping at Ghazipur border. We will join them and not return till the farm laws are repealed,” he said.

The Times of India

2021-01-24

Dehradun