Farmers at Khanauri border announce a nationwide protest on January 10, demanding MSP and debt waiver from the Central government | Representative image
Chandigarh: Various farm unions which held a mahapanchayat at Khanauri border of Punjab and Haryana on Saturday announced nationwide protests against the Central government on January 10 for, what they held, Centre’s indifference towards their demands including minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and debt waiver.
Attended by a multitude of farmers from both the states – Punjab and Haryana – held under the aegis of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which was addressed by several leaders, exhorted all the farm unions to stay united to fight for farmers’ demands.
Earlier in the day, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal – about 70, who is a cancer patient – whose fast-unto-death entered 40 day on Saturday, in his brief address on the occasion, asserted that he was confident that farmers’ “morcha’’ would win their fight.
Stating that though he understood that it was not easy to implement legal guarantee for MSP, but it did not mean that the farmers should sit back and relax while seven lakh farmers had also committed suicide due to debts.
Notably, hours before the mahapanchayat, Dallewal, who had refused any medical aid despite the repeated efforts of Punjab government on the Supreme Court orders for several days, on Saturday agreed to undergo an ECG test and his report was said to be normal.
MAHAPANCHAYAT IN TOHANA
Meanwhile, another mahapanchayat which was simultaneously held in Tohana town of district Fatehabad of Haryana, also saw participation of a large number of farmers, who were addressed by several senior leaders including Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Pal and P Krishnaprasad, besides others.
The leaders sought the Central government to immediately withdraw the draft of the National Agricultural Marketing policy framework and begin discussions with farmer organisations.
While rejecting the said policy framework, the mahapanchayat also passed a resolution urging all the village panchayats to send their rejection to the Central government by January 10.
3 WOMEN KILLED ON WAY TO MAHAPANCHAYAT
Meanwhile, according to information, three women farmers, associated with the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) were killed and over 30 others were injured when the bus they were travelling in met with an accident near Barnala in Punjab. The bus which carried over 50 farmers was on its way to Tohana town in Haryana to take part in mahapanchayat.
4TH SHOWDOWN IN MONTH’S TIME
It may be recalled that Saturday’s was the fourth major protest and show of strength by farmers against the Central government in less than a month’s time to press for their demands. On December 6, 8 and 14, their attempts to move towards Delhi were thwarted by Haryana police and para-military forces by using teargas shells and water cannons, leaving several injured.
