Farmers Movement Archive

No Jharkhand farmer at tractor parade in Delhi today

RANCHI: Farmers from Jharkhand will not take part in the tractor rally taken out by their counterparts from across the country on the Outer Ring Road in Delhi on Republic Day despite an appeal from the agitators. However, political parties and their affiliated farm bodies have decided to hold tractor and motorcycle rallies in the city on Tuesday. Farmers, particularly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have made an appealed to take part in the voluntary show of strength to revoke the three farm laws of the Centre. Jharkhand convener of NREGA Watch, James Henrej, who closely works with farmers and farm labourers, said the farmers of the state are never organised and not impacted by the laws. He said, “Jharkhand farmers never got the benefit of the minimum support price (MSP) and when the Centre made the laws, they never have the fear of being impacted.” Political parties in Jharkhand, which have criticised the ruling BJP, have failed to foresee the agitation but they are now planning to send representations on later dates. Farmers’ bodies affiliated to Left parties, including Jharkhand Rajya Kisan Sabha, have been staging agitation in the state for the past several months but said no farmer will be participating in the rally in New Delhi. CPM state secretariat member Prakash Viplav said, “The Samyukta Kisan Morcha is playing the lead role in the agitation at New Delhi and has said that those who are unable to take part in the rally could hold a similar programme in their respective states. So, we are staging tractor and bike rallies in the state on Tuesday. A group of people from Sahibganj had visited New Delhi about 10 days ago and we are planning to send a large group of farmers in February.” He added that the Left parties and its affiliated organisations had already planned their protests from January 21 to 30. Meanwhile, Congress maintained that Delhi’s tractor rally will be a slap on the Union government’s face and claimed the event will mark the gradual downfall of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Although no party worker from the state will be present during Tuesday’s rally in Delhi, state party spokesperson Alok Dubey said between December last year and early January this year, Jharkhand agriculture minister Badal Patralekh and ex-MLA of Daltonganj, K N Tripathy, had spent a few days at the camps of the protesting farmers along the Delhi borders to show solidarity. In a statement, Dubey and Lal Kishorenath Shahdeo, also a spokesperson, said, “The Union government’s actions and intentions don’t match and as a result, the agitating farmers are not convinced despite 12 rounds of talks. Congress, both at national and state levels, will continue to fight for their cause.” Ruling JMM has also decided to join the protest on Tuesday but it is planning to join the agitation on a later date. “This is the time of Tusu and other festivals and we thought of sending our representation on a later date,” JMM central general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said.

The Times of India

2021-01-26

Jamshedpur