Farmers Movement Archive

One village, 10 people, 8 days- Farmers’ formula to maintain a show of strength

On November 26, thousands descended at Delhi’s border to protest against three contentious farm laws that had been passed by the Centre in September last year.Fast forward 77 days and the Capital’s borders continued to remain chock-a-block on Tuesday, with protesting farmers managing to continue their ‘show of strength’ at the protest sites against the three new farm laws — courtesy their novel “one village, 10 people and eight days” formula.A majority of the protesters said that their eight-day rotation helps them maintain a balance between the ongoing movement and their work. Many others also find it a way to counter “anxiety and depression” among the agitators.Under the “one village, 10 people and eight days” rule, at least 10 people from each village of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh (UP) participate in the ongoing agitation for eight days and then are replaced by another set of people from the same village. This way, farmers shuffle between their villages and the protest site after every eight days.Darshan Pal, a member of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, a group of several farmer organisations protesting against the three new farm laws across the country, said that the idea behind rotating protesters regularly was to avoid “stagnation”. “People from different villages have left their trolleys at the protest site. They come and go in small cars or tractors and use the same trolleys during their stay at the protest sites. There are trolleys from different villages across all districts in Punjab at the Singhu border.”Also read 'Farm laws not religious scriptures that cannot be changed': Farooq AbdullahAlso read: Eye on mahapanchayats, Samayukt Kisan Morcha to decide future of farm stir todayFarmers generally shuttle between their villages and the protest sites -- Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur -- on Sundays. Pargat Singh, a protester from the Tikri border, said he has returned back to his village in Ferozpur in Punjab on Sunday after spending eight days at the protest site. “It looks like the protests are going to continue and that’s why it’s important to keep protesters motivated towards the cause. The rotation recharges protesters. They can take care of their families, fields, and cattle back home while also participating in the movement. Besides, it helps countering cases of depression among farmers. So many protesters have already died by suicide after getting disheartened during the protest,” he said.A 52-year-old farmer died by suicide at the Tikri border on Saturday. He had left behind a suicide note blaming the government for delay in resolving the farmers’ issues. Last month, a 42-year-old farmer from Rohtak ended his life at the same border and in December last year, a Sikh preacher died by suicide at the Singhu border over the ongoing agitation.Protesters at the Ghazipur border said they are encouraging more people in their villages to visit the protest site. “Even if protesters travel back to their homes for work, people assume that the protest has started to weaken. That’s why this rotation is necessary to maintain sufficient strength at the protest sites all the time in order to keep the spirit of the movement high,” said Akshit Chaudhary, a farmer from Muzaffarnagar.Also watch: Delhi violence: 2 farmer groups withdraw from protest, condemn R-Day chaos

Hindustan Times

10-02-2021

Delhi