Protesting Farmers to Conduct ‘Mini Republic Parade' on Tractors on Thursday

New Delhi: Farmer leaders on Tuesday announced that their struggle will be stepped up after the ‘mammoth’ tractor rally being held on Thursday. The tractor march will begin from Kundali, Dhansa, Palwal and Tikri, using the Eastern and Western Expressway, and meet midway. Also, farmers will burn the copies of three farm laws on Lohri, a harvest festival, (January 13) to mark their protest.

“The farmers are only fighting the battle but it is the universe that’s scrambling its might to support them. Rain and winter are just an excuse. The government used its power to the fullest to defeat us but we did not budge. We will not budge because we know we are right,” Ranjit Raju from Gramin Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Sri Ganganagar, said,  waving his hand in solidarity with farmers who braved tear gas shelling and lathi-charge on Sunday in Rewari.

Addressing a press conference at Singhu Border in Delhi, Raju and other farmer leaders announced that the movement by different unions would be intensified by taking the campaign to the village and tehsil level beginning January 9, the death anniversary of iconic farmer leader from Haryana, Sir Chhotu Ram.

Raju said that the desperation of the government to suppress the movement could be gauged from the fact that its police did not hesitate to use expired tear gas shells on farmers.

“United Nations’ norms make it illegal to use such ammunitions. Government brought heavy containers to block our way. Even essential items, like food and wood, have been stopped. If the farmers of the country are treated this way, I must say our democracy is under siege now,” he added.

The farmers are agitating against recently passed three farm laws facilitating corporate farming, establishment of private mandis beyond states’ laws and removal of limits for stocking essential commodities. The unions have also opposed the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill which they believe would lead to exponential increase in electricity costs for the farming community. The Bill has proposed a new billing structure under which the customers are required to pay the cost of bringing the electricity to households. It effectively means that rural consumers will have to pay higher rates for electricity.

Addressing the conference, Raja Ram, General Secretary of All India Kisan Mahasabha, said the government’s position was clearly aligned to corporate version of farming.

“It was shameful that a senior minister was talking about use of maize and barley for production of ethanol. So, the trajectory is fully known now. He ( the minister) did not even shy away from making statements that MSP being higher than market rate is the root problem. Surplus production of the crops is the problem. What sort of attitude is this? Does not he know that a majority in this country is anaemic and children malnourished. I want to make it clear that if (Prime Minister) Modi does concede to our demands, the land will soon slip beneath his feet ,” he said.

Baldev Singh from All India Kisan Sabha said our daughters and mothers are walking shoulder to shoulder with the movement and was thankful to them. As far as the campaign is concerned, the farmers will continue boycott of products produced by the companies owned by Ambani and Adani, toll plazas will remain free and the ruling National Democratic Alliance and its allies will be gheraoed by farmers, Singh said.

Seven rounds of talks between the government and agitating farmers have been inclusive. The next round is slated t be held on January 8. While the government indicated that it could go back on the Electricity Amendment Act and change in provisions for not penalising farmers for burning stubble, the key demands of withdrawing the three farm laws and giving legal guarantee for MSP remain unresolved.

Harender Singh Longowal, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), told NewsClick that the only way to counter the government narrative was by widening the movement in more states. “We are trying to get more farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to join the movement,” he said.