Farmers Movement Archive

Over 15,000 turn up for mahapanchayat at Sunehra

Highlighting the need for communal harmony and amity among farmers agitating against the farm laws, farmer leaders from different states on Sunday addressed a crowd of over 15,000 people during a “mahapanchyat” at Sunehra, near the Haryana-Rajasthan border. The call for the mahapanchayat was given by the Meo community of Rajasthan and Haryana that has been protesting against the farm laws under a common banner since last December.Mahapanchayats or village gatherings are being held in various parts of the country against the backdrop of a call given by Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) Rakesh Tikait to strengthen the ongoing farmers’ agitation. Farmers across the country are protesting against the three farm laws that were passed in September last year. Farmers fear that the new laws will put an end to the maximum support price (MSP) for important crops and leave them open to exploitation by corporate interests.Sunday’s mahapanchayat was addressed by a host of farmer leaders and Congress MLAs from Nuh. These included BKU’s Gurnam Charuni, BKU general secretary Yudhvir Singh, farmer-leader Ghulam Mohammad Jola, Rakesh Tikait’s nephew, Gaurav Tikait, AIKSC’s Amra Ram and Bhim Army’s Chandrashekhar Azad, among others.Greeting the impressive crowd with “assalamualaikum” and “namaskar”, Charuni said the overwhelming turnout of people indicated that the farmers’ agitation would grow substantially in the coming days. He said that the government had unintentionally brought people from different communities together in the fight against the laws. “Today, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are standing together under a common banner of farmers,” he said.Calling the agitation against the three farm laws a fight for survival, he said, “The fight today is for livelihood. Our people will die if these laws are implemented. The government will take money from your pockets and give it to corporates. We need to defeat these law s together since hunger doesn’t see religion or caste.”Emphasizing the danger posed by the three laws, Charuni said that the laws will benefit corporates, whereas small shopkeepers will suffer. “Corporates are benefitting while the poor people are suffering,” said Charuni. Exhorting people to join the agitation, he said that the fight against the laws was a long one but needed to be seen to the end.Ghulam Mohammad Jola, a farmer leader from Muzaffarnagar, said that Mewat, a land of revolutionaries, was playing a crucial role in strengthening the farmers’ agitation. Jola, who quit BKU in the aftermath of 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots, recalled his recent meeting with Rakesh Tikait and said that the two communities have set aside their differences. “They invited us to the panchayat and now, we have set aside our differences. Muslims will make sacrifices and ensure that the three laws are defeated,” he said.Siddique Ahmed Meo, a social activist from Nuh, said that the mahapanchayat had been called to demonstrate that the people of Mewat stood in solidarity with the protesting farmers. He said while farmers from the Mewat region in Rajasthan and Haryana had been participating in a sit-in protest since the last month, Sunday’s mahapanchayat was the biggest gathering against the three laws in the region. “People from Mewat have been participating in various protests, including an indefinite sit-in protest. Today’s gathering will give a momentum to the protests. Farmers’ leaders from different states also appreciated the role being played by Meos in this historic movement,” said Meo.The mahapanchayat saw the participation of men and women from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Maulana Arshad Meel, of Bharatpur in Rajasthan who had started the protest at the Haryana Rajasthan border and had given the call for the gathering, said, “The mahapanchayat today decided that our protests will continue till the three laws are rolled back. We will continue the ongoing protest at the Haryana-Rajasthan border.” Gaurav Tikait, the nephew of Rakesh Tikat, said that the farmers’ agitation would only end with the repeal of the three laws and implementation of the MS Swaminathan Committee report. Referring to the events that transpired on January 26, he said that genuine farmers would never disrespect the tricolour. “We can give our lives for the honour of the country. The government should go after those who hoisted the religious flag on the Red Fort and not all farmers,” said Tikait. He also emphasised on the importance of defeating the government’s alleged divisive agendas. “When the government tries to divide you on the basis of caste and religion, you should identify yourself only as farmers,” said Tikait. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Haryana spokesperson, Jawahar Yadav, said that the crowds at mahapanchayats would have no bearing on the farm laws. “We have always maintained that this is a political movement, and many people are working behind the scenes. These things will become clearer with time and people will start weaning away from the protests. Genuine farmers will start breaking away from these protests as they understand the politics taking place in the garb of the farmer’s movement,” said Yadav.

Hindustan Times

07-02-2021

Gurugram