Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers gear up for nationwide protest

LUDHIANA: With the farm unions deciding to hold a nationwide protest on May 26, several farmers are getting ready to participate in it and go to Delhi border stir sites between May 28 and June 10. “We are getting ready for observing Black Day on the completion of our six-month struggle against farm laws. On the day, black flags will be carried in all villages, towns and cities and effigies of Modi government will be burnt. After the May 26 protest, every farmer union will take groups of 20-25 members from villages to Delhi borders and the movement will continue from May 28 to June 10, as after that they may face difficulty in paddy transplantation,” said Kanwaljeet Khanna, general secretary of Inquilabi Kendra Punjab, which is supporting farmers’ struggle. A message of Bhartiya Kissan Union (BKU) Dakonda said on Monday, on the birth anniversary of Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, a meeting of five blocks of the union was organized at Kamalpura to prepare for May 26 protest. From May 28, maximum farmers reach Delhi borders ‘morcha’, it added. “There is realization among farmers and farm workers that Covid has a death rate of not more than 5%, but they will die 100% because of black farm laws. And so, they are ready to go to Delhi borders to protest. People have already started going as a number of buses went there from Khanori border. We will also hold protest in Patiala on May 28, 29 and 30,” said BKU Ekta Ugrahan’s zone in-charge Gurpreet Singh Sekhon. He added that they will follow social distancing during the events. “Before going to Tikri border, we will distribute black flags in village on Tuesday so that villagers can put those on rooftops. Preparations are going on in full swing,” said Kamaljit Singh, a farmer from Chakar village. Farm union members and farmers are sitting on protest at many toll plazas in Ludhiana, including Rakba toll plaza on Mullanpur-Raikot road, Chowkiman on Jagraon-Ludhiana road, Ladowal toll plaza on Ludhiana-Delhi road, Lehal toll plaza on Ludhiana-Malerkotla road, Ghulal toll plaza on Ludhiana-Chandigarh road. There are sit-ins at Jagraon, Khanna railway stations and outside a mall in Ludhiana, too.

The Times of India

2021-05-25

Ludhiana