Farmers Movement Archive

Women leaders to lead farmers’ protests on March 8

Farmers protesting at the Shahjahanpur-Jaisinghpur Khera and Sunehra-Jurehra interstate Haryana-Rajasthan borders plan on marking International Women’s Day on March 8 by observing the day as Mahila Kisan Diwas. As part of the celebrations, women will lead the protest at both sites, farmer leaders said on Thursday.Sanjay Madhav, a member of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha — the umbrella body of farmer unions protesting at Delhi’s borders — and the state convener of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee in Rajasthan, said that besides women who were already camping at the protest site, women farmers from different states and organisations will be joining and leading the agitation on Women’s Day. “The agitation will be completing 100 days soon. This could not have been possible without the support of women farmers, who are a pillar of the farmers’ protests. On Women’s Day, we will see greater participation from women who will spearhead the protests for the day. Women will address the gatherings and mobilise support for the agitation,” said Madhav. He said that the farmers union have extended invitations to various women’s organisations to hold programmes to highlight the contributions of women farmers.Farmers across the country have been agitating against the three contentious farm laws, which were passed by the Centre in September last year, for the past few months. They fear that the new laws will leave them at the mercy of big corporations and end the minimum support price (MSP) for important crops. Ramzan Chaudhary, the head of Jai Kisan Andolan’s Nuh unit, said that women farmers from Mewat would take the centre stage at the Sunehra-Jurehra protest site on Women’s Day. “We will observe March 8 as Mahila Kisan Diwas under the leadership of women from Rajasthan, Haryana and other states. Women are an equal participant in the ongoing agitation, but their role often gets overlooked. When women lead the protests, other women too will get motivated to join the agitation in bigger numbers,” said Chaudhary.

Hindustan Times

04-03-2021

Gurugram