Farmer’s protest | Farmers burn agriculture law copies in ‘Lohri bonfire’

Several batches of farmers in tractor-trolleys continue to head for Delhi to participate in proposed Republic Day ‘tractor parade’.

Farmers depart on their tractors on January 12, 2021 from Amritsar to participate in the ongoing protests in Delhi.

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana on January 13 burnt copies of the recent Central farm laws in “Lohri bonfire” as a mark of protest and shouted slogans against the Union government even as several batches of farmers in tractor-trolleys continued to head for Delhi to participate in a proposed Republic Day ‘tractor parade’ against the laws.

Farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC) burnt copies of the laws in as many as 11 districts of Punjab, primarily in Majha and Doaba region, while the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) members consigned copies of the laws to flames in close to 1600 villages in 16 districts of the State, according to Sukhdev Singh, general secretary, BKU(U).

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Sarvan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the KMSC, said that another batch of thousands of farmers and farm labourers from Punjab on their tractor-trolleys have started a journey for Delhi to join the proposed Republic day ‘tractor parade’.

“Thousands of farmers and farm labourers are on their way and they will reach Singhu-Kundli border by January 14 morning. The farmers are marching on tractor-trolleys, two-wheelers, cars, vans etc,” he said.

Not acceptable: Dal Khalsa

Members of radical Sikh outfit – Dal Khalsa, burnt copies of the farm laws in Amritsar. Its activists shouted slogans terming the BJP government as authoritarian and alleging it of promoting crony-capitalism. Its leader Kanwar Pal Singh said the staying of the laws by the Supreme Court was neither acceptable nor a solution to the impasse. “The government is hell bent to scuttle the farmers’ agitation. Punjab is up against the BJP government’s anti-minority politics and fascist agenda,” he added.

The main Opposition party in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also burnt copies of the laws. Its State president and Lok Sabha member Bhagwant Mann said party workers saluted the spirit and courage of the farmer by burning more than 8 lakh copies of the laws.

“In this moment of farmers’ crisis, all the workers of the AAP have decided that we will dedicate this year’s Lohri to our farmer brothers who were martyred in the movement,” added Mr. Mann.