Farmers Movement Archive

Terai farmers observe ‘Sampoorna Kranti Diwas’, burn copies of farm laws

Rudrapur: To mark one year of the three contentious farm laws being promulgated as ordinances, farmers of Uttarakhand's Terai region — hailed as the rice bowl of the state — observed 'Sampoorna Kranti Diwas' and held protests across the Udham Singh Nagar district. The protest call was given by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions protesting at the Ghazipur border (near Delhi) against the farm laws. On Saturday, farmers, carrying black flags, burnt copies of the law at public places and near the offices of BJP MPs, MLAs and other government representatives in Jaspur, Kashipur, Bazpur, Gadarpur, Dineshpur, Rudrapur, Kichha, Sitarganj, Nanakmatta and Khatima towns of the district. The agitating farmers also held a protest near state education minister Arvind Pandey's house in Gularbhoj (Gadarpur). Police were deployed and barricades were erected outside the minister's house to prevent any untoward incident. Copies of the farm laws were also burnt in front of state transport minister Yashpal Arya’s camp office in Bazpur. Tejender Singh Virk, president of Terai Kisan Mahasabha, said, “The government is hell-bent on scuttling the farmers’ agitation but we will continue our protests till our demand of repealing the black farm laws is met.” In a similar vein, Karm Singh Padda, state president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, said that the farmers’ stir won’t stop till the laws are repealed and MSP is guaranteed. Jagtar Singh Bajwa, the spokesperson of the SKM, who was in Bazpur for the protest, said, “We have been protesting for two crop seasons and are ready to continue our stir for the next eight or even more crop seasons.” Meanwhile, Tilak Raj Behar, former Congress minister, said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intention of helping his industrialist friends has put the entire farmer community in jeopardy. They are forced to protest in Delhi, away from their farms and houses.” Notably, the Uttarakhand unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also rendered support to the agitating farmers in Kashipur.

The Times of India

2021-06-06

Dehradun