Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers’ protest taking toll on their health, produce

Tribune News ServiceJalandhar, October 29Continuous protests are taking toll on farmers’ health, their personal lives and work as well. Notably, almost a month has passed since the farmers had been voicing their concern regarding the farm laws by holding dharnas in the state. Farmers who are coming to the protests on a daily basis have also been facing trouble back in their families and fields.Satnam Singh Sahni, spokesperson, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba), said continuous dharnas had affected his health. “I am not worried about my health, but I am always thinking about my mother as she doesn’t keep well. Also, I have no one to look after my fields. You can imagine what personal loss I might have been going through,” he said. Sahni said sowing of wheat has also got delayed due to continuous protests.“We just want our rights, which nobody can take away from us,” said a farmer.Manjit Rai, chief of the union, said at this point, he usually sows fodder for his cattle, but he couldn’t do it because he was busy strategising for future moves and attending meetings at the state and central level.“No one can understand the problems we are going through. It is such a tiring work. We are fighting for our rights, but are also missing out on looking after families and fields,” he said.Farmers protest outside Reliance store Hoshiarpur: A demonstration was held in front of the Reliance store by the Kul Hind Kisan Sabha headed by former sarpanch Jagdish Singh and Ajit Singh. Addressing the protesters, Punjab vice-president of the Kul Hind Kisan Sabha Darshan Singh Mattoo and secretary Gurnek Singh Bhajjal said their demands included getting three ‘anti-farmer’ laws and Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 revoked and getting the movement of goods trains restarted in Punjab. For this, a demonstration would be held at the Banga Chowk, Garhshankar, on November 5 where they would block the road from 12 to 4 in the evening. They said the agitation would continue till their demands were met. Subhash Mattoo, Comrade Harbhajan Singh Gulpur, Capt Karnail Singh Panam, AAP’s farmer wing leader Gurdial Singh Bhanot, Prem Singh Rana former sarpanch and former sarpanch Jagdish Singh also addressed the protesters. OC

The Tribune

2020-10-30