Protesting farmers organise 'Pagdi Langar' at Ghazipur border on Shaheed Diwas
Item
Title
Protesting farmers organise 'Pagdi Langar' at Ghazipur border on Shaheed Diwas
Description
The protesting farmers at the Ghazipur border (Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border) on Tuesday organised a 'Pagdi Langar' on the occassion of Shaheed Diwas.It was on this day that freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were executed by the British government. March 23 is observed as 'Shaheed Diwas' to pay tribute to the trio who were hanged for killing British police officer J P Saunders. The trio wanted to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.Earlier on December 19, the farmers organised a 'turban langar' at the Singhu border. The initiative at the Delhi-Haryana border was conducted by a group of volunteers from Punjab.In February this year, the farmers again marked the 'Pagdi Sambhal Divas' at the Delhi borders. Donning traditional turbans and singing songs of the peasant movement, the farmers protested against the three agri laws.Called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the day-long event was inspired by the "Pagdi Sambhal Lehar" of 1906.Farmers have been protesting in and around the national capital since November 26 against the three farm laws -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.Enacted in September last year, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.The protesting farmers, on the other hand, have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with the "mandi" (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
Publisher
Hindustan Times
Date
23-03-2021
Coverage
India