Farmers Movement Archive

Ahead of ‘Rail Roko’, Tikait says farmers ready to suffer loss of one crop

Leaders of the anti-farm law protest on Wednesday said they will go ahead with the plan to disrupt trains in the country on Thursday.People will not allow trains to ply, they said. But, they added, protesters at the prominent protest sites around Delhi -- UP Gate at the border with Ghaziabad is one of them -- will not leave their positions. These people will continue their protests on the roads.This is the protesters’ third major action this year after the tractor rally to Delhi on Republic Day and Chakka jam (road traffic protest) on February 6. They are demanding the repeal of the three central farm laws and the codification of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops into law.“This is another call to take forward our movement which will not stop and will continue. It is now a fight for our existence. Even if farmers have to suffer loss of a crop, they will do it and will not let the agitation die. Our agitation is not going to break even as people say that there are fewer people at our gatherings. Our farmers have gone to attend to their fields and also have to attend to marriages in their families. They will come back,” said Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union who is spearheading protest at UP Gate.He said people in their respective areas will stop trains.“They will stop trains that ply in area. This will be a peaceful protest and they will offer water, milk, fruits, Lassi and other items to children and other passengers who will be affected. They will also tell them about the farmers’ issues. This will take place across the country,” Tikait said.The farmer leaders seemed reluctant to detail on how exactly they want people to stop trains in the rail roko protest, more so after the incidents of large-scale violence during their tractor rally in Delhi.The ‘Samyukta Kisan Morcha’ (SKM) in a statement issued from Singhu Border said, “SKM appeals to everyone for a peaceful protest in nationwide rail roko program on February 18. This program will be organised from 12 noon to 4 pm in which support is expected from all over the country.”UP Gate farmers’ committee member Jagtar Singh Bajwa said that no protester from UP Gate will go to attend the “Rail Roko” call.“They will stay at UP Gate and will continue the protest here. People are expected to stop trains and strictly told to carry out the call in a peaceful manner,” he said.The Ghaziabad district administration said that they have made arrangements beforehand.“We have deployed police and other security personnel in respective areas, and they will also be accompanied by magistrates of respective tehsils. We will ensure that there is no untoward incident and passengers should not suffer,” said Ajay Shankar Pandey, district magistrate.The farmers are camping at the UP Gate protest site since November 28, 2020 to press for their demands and also occupying Ghaziabad-Delhi carriageway of the Delhi Meerut Expressway since December 3, 2020. The other carriageway was heavily barricaded by the Delhi police after incidents of violence which took place on the Republic Day in Delhi during tractor rally call given by farmers’ leaders.NHAI concernThe National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said their work had been disrupted since the start of the protest. About 1.3-km stretch of the Delhi Meerut Expressway was occupied affecting traffic on stretches between UP Gate and Vijay Nagar.“We have received several complaints from the public about the closure of the expressway. We had written to the district magistrate requesting them to get the expressway vacated,” said Mudit Garg, project director of NHAI.But district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said that he had not received any such request. “The district administration on January 28 had also served a notice to farmer leaders at UP Gate to vacate the site, but nothing materialised so far.Meanwhile, BKU national spokesperson Tikait lashed out at the NHAI.“NHAI officials keep telling us to vacate the expressway. When the government couldn’t get it vacated, how can they? There is no one from NHAI who has come to us so far to ask us to vacate. We ask that what action was taken when roads were dug up to stop the farmers (referring to police action to stop the rally on Republic Day). The officials must first initiate action there,” Tikait added.

Hindustan Times

17-02-2021

Noida