Peaceful farm stir in rest of India

Item

Title

Peaceful farm stir in rest of India

Description

Protests by farmers and their supporters against the agri-marketing laws were by and large peaceful in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. In Karnataka, there were tractors rallies of varying size in support of the protest in Delhi. Members of some 50 outfits participated in a demonstration in Bengaluru that involved 125 tractors and other vehicles under the Aikhya (United) Forum. There were a few reports of minor skirmishes with the police from other parts of the state, while some farmers’ groups threatened to intensify the agitation on the lines of the Delhi stir if the Centre failed to withdraw the laws. Over 5,000 tractors headed towards Bengaluru were stopped. Federation of Farmers’ Associations Kurubur Shanthkumar warned of a larger agitation. “ In Telangana, hundreds of people chanting “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” hit the streets in Hyderabad. Organised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, the rally comprised participants from the Left parties, civil rights groups and women’s groups. The tractor rally at the Shahjahanpur-Kherhi border in Haryana’s Rewari district saw farmers, labourers, fishermen and tribals from seven states participate. The rally, which began at Rewari after tricolour was unfurled at the venue, reached Manesar via Bawal and returned by the same route without any controversial incident. It included 26 makeshift tableaux on trolleys highlighting the art, culture, heritage and source of income of 26 states. “Hum iss tractor parade se dil jeetne aaye hain, naa ki Dilli jeetne (We want to win the hearts of people with this parade, not Delhi),” Samyukta Morcha local coordinator Sanjay Madhav said. In Mumbai, protesters headed home after flag-hoisting at Azad Maidan, the All India Kisan Sabha said. In Tamil Nadu, farmers and trade union members ignored warnings from police and took out rallies on tractors and twowheelers involving several people in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvaur and Trichy.

Publisher

The Times of India

Date

2021-01-27

Coverage

India