Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers erect stage to honour Bhagat Singh

Far from being consumed by monotony as their agitation enters its fourth week, thousands of farmers occupying several kilometres between the Tikri border in Delhi and Haryana’s Bahadurgarh continue to fortify their ranks in more ways than one. Rejoicing in Punjab and Haryana’s new-found cultural unity (personified by the pervasive influence of revolutionary Bhagat Singh around them) since coming together against the controversial farm laws, a second stage for performance of Haryanviraginis dedicated to the freedom fighter has been set upto keep morale up. The protest site, located on the Capital’s western flank, serves as a nodal office of sorts from where emissaries are being dispatched to villages in adjacent rural belt to urge more farmers to join the growing agitation. It is also the coordination point between numerous village panchayats — engaged in gathering resources such as boilers to provide hot bathing water and blankets — and protesting farmers. “Panchayats are being conducted in nearby villages, especially those located in Bahadurgarh where farmers are relatively well off, to mobilise more people for the agitation. Farmer leaders from here take part in many such meetings every day,” said Sumit, a student leader from Rohtak who is part of a farmers’ union. “Back home, panchayats are held every day to arrange resources for people here. We will be getting boilers for hot bathing water and, of course, blankets and quilts, from hundreds of villages in Haryana soon,” he said. Phool Singh from Jind, who was one of the first to set up camp at Tikri border a day after clashes between security personnel and agitating farmers seeking to march on New Delhi on November 26, said their actual plan wasn’t to blockade the city’s borders at all. “After two months of chalking the way forward among ourselves and with our colleagues in Punjab, the plan was to actually protest peacefully at the Ramlila Grounds in central Delhi. That was actually where we were headed,” he said. “But, when they [security personnel] asked us to stop where we were, that’s what we did. Everyone dug in their heels where they were and we will not move an inch back till the laws are repealed,” he added. As the main stage at the venue rang out with repetitions of the slogan ‘Tino kanoon chaknachur, aes to khat nahin manzoor(All three laws must be destroyed, nothing less is acceptable)’, Maninder Chinna from Punjab’s Sangrur sat at akhaatpanchayat around ahukkabut minus thekhaat(straw bed). ‘The way forward’ “This is the way forward,” he said pointing towards a poster of Bhagat Singh when asked how long the protest was likely to go on. “The only time Punjab and Haryana came together like this was under him when we were all one. Soon, there will be one stage here solely to sing his praises all day long,” he said.

The Hindu

2020-12-19

New Delhi