A raging pandemic, extreme weather conditions and “intimidation” from authorities on several occasions had not been able to break the movement, protesting farmers at the Singhu border said as they marked six months of the agitation on Wednesday.
Thousands of farmers from the Capital’s neighbouring States had reached the city’s borders in November last year, demanding a complete repeal of the three controversial farm laws brought in by the Centre.
Amid sloganeering, hoisting black flags and burning effigies, the protesting farmers maintained that their demands of a repeal of the three laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price, remained the same as on the first day of them reaching the borders of the national capital.
Brief ruckus
At Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, hundreds of farmers, led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, converged into groups as they burnt an effigy of the Centre in protest. A ruckus briefly ensued between protesters and the local police, donning anti-riot gears, who had tried to stop them from burning the effigy at the UP Gate below the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
Amardeep Singh, a farmer from Punjab’s Patiala district, who has been camping at the Singhu border since the initial days of the agitation said, “Sitting somewhere far away from one’s family is difficult for anyone. To add to it, the government also tried to pressurise us in all sorts of ways. At times they create panic about COVID-19 and at other times, they disrupted water and electricity supplies. They even tried to torture youth by bringing up some “Toolkit” issue. But we have the Almighty’s blessings and we have managed to resist all kinds of threats.”
“Trolleys have been modified and harvest season managed without a glitch. People are back to the border in large numbers. This agitation will continue and we will follow whatever our leaders say,” said Mr. Singh.
Referring to an instance of police action which took place after people claiming to be locals staged a protest at the Singhu border in January, Gurmeet Singh, a farmer from Punjab’s Moga district said, “Neither the police nor the extreme weather conditions could break us. We are as determined as ever. The protest is on and will continue till our demands are met. We will not accept anything lesser than a complete repeal of the laws.”
“This movement is a fight for our identity. Agriculture is our livelihood and if the laws are implemented then we will anyway have to die. We might as well die while fighting for our rights. We will continue the struggle and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to take back the laws,” said Mr. Singh.
Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer from the Roopnagar district said that the movement will be intensified if the laws are not repealed and groups of youth will be sent to different parts of the country including, election-bound States, to raise awareness.
“If the government withdraws the laws then it will be good. If they do not, then groups of youth will be sent to States like Uttar Pradesh to raise more awareness. Ground-level preparations are already under way. The elections which are to take place next year will be an important test for this government,” said Mr. Singh.
Further, Mr. Singh added, “Through the agitation we have realised the concept of humanity and how to fight for others. We have seen how all States have participated and supported us. Everyone has now realised that the current government has only spread hate. The youth is also more aware and will not believe any manifesto which is put before them. They have realised the importance of questioning everything. Today [Wednesday] was a special day for us as we observed a “Black Day”.
The Delhi police have urged people not to hold gatherings due to the COVID-19 situation and the ongoing lockdown and said it is keeping a tight vigil to deal with any situation at the protest sites.
