Farmers Movement Archive

UP Gate turns into city of tents as farmers’ numbers swell; leaders to hold mahapanchayat on Dec 17

Ghaziabad: Having so far called a Bharat Bandh, going on a hunger strike, protesting at respective district headquarters and freeing up expressways of tolls, among other strategies as part of their protest, farmers are now mulling over their future course of action so as to get the central government to listen to their plight against the three new farm laws. Meanwhile, the UP Gate protest site has turned into a “city of tents”, with the gathering swelling up in numbers.The farmers have held siege at the UP Gate in Ghaziabad since November 28, and blocked the Ghaziabad-Delhi carriageway of the National Highway 9 since December 3. Rakesh Tikait, one of the leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and its spokesperson, said now it is up to the government to plan a “rann niti” (strategy) to break the deadlock over the farm laws. “We are sitting here and now it is up to the government to make ‘rann niti’. We have a big panchayat at Sisoli in Muzaffarnagar (village of BKU’s founder leader Mahendra Singh Tikait). This time, we will hold this big panchayat at UP Gate. People from western UP will arrive in large numbers; khap panchayats have also been called here. Farmers from other areas and states are already here,” Rakesh Tikait said.He added that every farmer is keeping an eye on outsiders and if found they will be subjected to “gola lathi” – a way of tying up the hands and legs of a person and then putting across a stick behind the knees and held by palms, interlocking the limbs.“We are keeping an eye on outsiders and this time, we will tie them up, gola lathi-style, for two hours and then hand them over to the police. Farmers who are being stopped en route have been asked to stage sit-ins at the site. Our core-committee will decide the future course of action,” he added. Some other BKU leaders said that blocking the entire national highway could also be considered as a future course of action. “They initially floated the narrative that protesting farmers were “naxalites”. Then they said that those on protests were “big farmers” and then later they said they have the support of other groups of farmers. Despite all this, we are showing restraint. The day things go out of hand, there will be a flashpoint,” said Rajbir Singh, state vice-president of BKU.So far as part of the protests, farmers have given a call for Bharat Bandh, besides blocking a portion of highway in Ghaziabad and even making toll plazas free of cost and protesting at district headquarters. “Further, we may choke borders and even highways. We know this will create problems for commuters but we are helpless. How long will we continue to sit here? There is also an attempt to stop our supporters from coming to the site. They are being stopped in Rampur, Brijghat and other places on the highway,” Singh added. UP Gate turns into city of tents Meanwhile, the UP Gate protest site has turned into a city of tents, with farmers camping at the site under temporary tents which have come up off late, besides tractor trolleys, mini trucks and even cars and other vehicles.The BKU leaders estimate that the overall farmers strength at the UP Gate has now reached 4,000-5,000 strong, with about 400-500 tractor trolleys lining up from UP Gate up to Khoda on NH 9, and more likely to arrive with the call of mahapanchayat on December 17.“Farmers have made all arrangements for food and have brought in rations to sustain them for months. We have 24x7 langars and several kitchens operating. Every tractor trolley has carved a space for itself and converted to tents with tarpaulin sheets on top. This serves as a safe house for rest and sleep. The entire area has been turned into a small city in itself. There is nothing to worry about. However, with each day passing, the government’s attitude is more unwelcome,” said Salik Ram Yadav, a farmer leader from Prayagraj. The UP Gate site is seeing daily arrival of tonnes of fruits and vegetables and food is being prepared aplenty to feed everyone. The number of community kitchens and food stalls operating has now gone up to about 10 at the site, while about three to four medical camps have also been set up. Some private hospitals and doctors off late have sent their ambulances and staff for ailing farmers. Shyam Kumar, who has arrived from Roorkee, is selling blankets at the site. “I generally put-up stalls in exhibitions but this time, I tried selling at the UP Gate. Farmers are showing keen interest and some have even purchased blankets,” he added.Like him, Pintu Gupta is selling kurta-pajamas and Jawahar jackets at UP Gate. He is from Ghazipur in UP and lives in Delhi. “These traditional outfits are liked by farmers. So, I came here and put up a stall and stocked various colours of kurta-pajama and sadri,” he said. The temporary library at UP Gate is also attracting farmers. Several youngsters have put up the library on the footpath of NH 9, and said that one of the titles, ‘Kisan Patrika,’ has so far sold about 5,000 copies.“This small book explains the three farm laws in detail and costs ₹5. During the past 12 days, we have sold about 5,000 copies. Other titles are also being sold. We have also offered books free of cost for reading and farmers take them and return after reading,” said Ashish Kumar, a resident of Shahdara in Delhi.

Hindustan Times

15-12-2020

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