Farmers Movement Archive

Farm stir: Charuni leads thousands from Ambala to Delhi, says more to follow

Ambala: Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni on Sunday marched towards Delhi border with a cavalcade of thousands of his supporters, starting from a toll plaza at Shambhu border of Punjab and Haryana. The visuals looked similar to November 25, 2020, when Haryana farmers had started movement under ‘Dilli Chalo’ call by Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). This time, however, farmers were not stopped or blocked by Haryana Police as was done earlier in November. Thousands of farmers from villages of Ambala district gathered at Shambhu border in the morning and started moving for Delhi in their vehicles in the afternoon. Once the farmers’ cavalcade started movement, one side of the three-lane National Highway-44 was jampacked and people heading for Delhi faced long jams. People also had to commute on service lanes. The cavalcade was heading for the Singhu border to provide strength in numbers to an ongoing agitation against three agro-market laws passed by the Centre last year. Apart from Singhu, farmers continued to pour into the protest sites on the Tikri and Ghazipur borders of Delhi. On their way to Delhi, Charuni’s cavalcade, which started from Ambala-Patiala border, was welcomed with flower petals at Shahabad, Pipli and Karnal on NH-44, also known as GT Road. “A cavalcade of about 2,500 vehicles from Ambala district moved towards Delhi and another one will be taken from Panipat on June 10. This movement is being done to warn the government to accept the demands and to show the enthusiasm of one district. If such a call is given to the entire nation, Delhi will be choked,” said Charuni. To a query that talks have not resumed with the government for several months, Charuni said, “The government is worried more than us (farmers). In the last six months, the graph of BJP has come down drastically and people are hating this party now. It is evident from the election results of West Bengal and the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP). We are starting a ‘Mission UP’ to defeat BJP there.” Happy to see the gathering of a large number of farmers, Charuni said, “The farmers of Ambala district have once again pumped new energy and enthusiasm in the andolan (movement). On November 25, 2020, the farmers of Ambala district had firstly marched towards Delhi under ‘Dilli Chalo’ after breaking barricades and facing water-cannons of the police. Today again, thousands of farmers from Ambala have given a new direction to the andolan by reaching Delhi.” In Karnal, Charuni’s convoy was given a rousing welcome at Bastara toll plaza on National Highway-44. It left after having langar. There, Charuni said they were ready for talks with government, but it should take a call. BOX Mandsaur police firing victims remembered: SKM Bathinda: The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) stated on Sunday that farm activists organised events across the country, and even online, to mark Sankalp Diwas to remember and pay respects to six farmers who were killed in police firing at Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh on June 6, 2017, during a protest to demand renumerative prices for their produce. SKM stated that reports of protests to observe Sampooran Kranti Diwas (Total Revolution Day) on Saturday were still pouring in from across the country. Abhishek, Punam Chand, Chen Ram, Satya Narayan, Kanhaiya Lal and Ghanshyam were killed during the agitation at Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh. SKM said farmers vowed to continue the struggle initiated by Mandsaur farmers and take it to a logical conclusion.

The Times of India

2021-06-07

Chandigarh