Farmers Movement Archive

Fighting for rights: Protests mark I-Day celebrations

Jalandhar, August 16Demanding ‘Equal wages for equal work, withdrawal of farm ordinances promulgated by the Central Government, members of the Joint Action Committee, Bhartiya Kissan Union and Kissan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee marked the 73rd celebrations of Independence Day with protests in the district.The union members carried out the protest march at various locations of the city and submitted their memorandum to the DC. Effigies of the Central and state government were also burnt.Holding placards in their hands, workers, under the banner of the Joint Action Committee, continued their demonstration for over two hours at the Nakodar Chowk. The roadways contractual workers, who also joined the protest, demanded an end to the financial slavery of the government.“Even after performing Covid duties, the Transport Department has announced to deduct the already meagre salaries of the contractual workers. Our allowances have already been withdrawn,” said, Gurpreet Singh, a contractual worker. The workers demanded equal wages for equal work, implementation of old pension scheme, reissuance of mobile allowances, end of privatisation and commercialisation, end to exploitation by bureaucracy and several others.Similarly, raising slogans against the Modi government, farmers under the banner of ‘Bhartiya Kissan Union’, after conducting a protest marched assembled at the district administration complex and burnt the copies of farm ordinances promulgated by the Central government.Apart from showing their dissent against the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, the farmers urged the government to curb the trade of farm produce through private dealers.The farmers said, this time, there was a margin of over Rs 500 in the sale of maize and Basmati rice.Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sultanpur Lodhi, on Saturday, also held a protest at the SDM office in Sultanpur Lodhi, against the delay in disbursement of subsidies and compensation.Gurlal Singh Pandori, state treasurer of the committee, said, besides farm ordinances, we also oppose the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as it may adversely hit free power to farmers. The government should also roll back the diesel price hike.Declaring the state government as a ‘failed government’ that couldn’t benefit farmers, farm producers demanded the ordinances to be withdrawn and threatened to intensify their protest if the government failed to meet their demands.Cases registered against 45 protestersThe police registered cases against 45 persons, while 15 of them have been identified, for raising 'Khalistan Zindabad' slogans at BR Ambedkar Chowk here. Sikh organisations, including women and other minority groups, demanded 'Freedom of Khalistan' amid the Independence Day celebrations. While the Khalistani supporters declared their arrest unjust, police claimed that they broke Covid safety guidelines. In order to 'put an end' to the protest, cops took them away in a van at the Police Lines.

The Tribune

2020-08-17