Farmers Movement Archive

Copies of farm laws burnt on Holi eve, FCI offices to be gheraoed on April 5

Bathinda: Farmers burnt copies of the three contentious farm laws at various places across Punjab on Sunday as a mark of protest on the eve of Holi. Farmers have been holding protests against the BJP-led Central government for over four months at the borders of Delhi. Since then, they have been observing festivals at protest sites. Earlier, in response to the call given by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, farmers observed bandh across Punjab on March 26. They pledged to continue with the struggle till the Central government repealed the contentious laws. Farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said copies of the laws were burnt at 42 places in 16 districts of the state, including at the ongoing five-day protest at Adani Group’s dry port in Kila Raipur, district Ludhiana. Sanyukt Kisan Morcha claimed that several “indirect” attempts are being made by the government to end MSP and PDS system. Morcha leaders claimed that for the last several years, FCI budget has been reduced and now the corporation has also changed crop procurement rules. Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has decided to observe April 5 as ‘FCI Bachao Divas’, under which FCI offices across the country will be gheraoed from 11am to 5pm. Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has condemned the bill passed in Haryana Assembly on March 18, alleging that it is aimed at “suppressing agitations and agitators.” They alleged that the law, ‘Haryana recovery of damages to property during disturbance to public order bill, 2021’ contains provisions that would prove fatal to democracy. They claimed the law has been brought about to disturb the farmers’ movement and evade legitimate demands of farmers. They claimed that under the law, the loss of private or public property caused by anyone, anywhere during any movement will be recovered from the agitators.

The Times of India

2021-03-29

Chandigarh