Chhavi Bhatia

New Delhi—Farmers protesting against the contentious farm laws are raising the pitch by adding more strength every day to the constantly swelling crowd reaching different entry points of Delhi. A massive cavalcade of 10000 farmers and labourers left for Tikri-Bahadurgarh from Dabwali on Sunday with an overnight halt at Fatehabad, Haryana. This is in response to the repeated clarion calls by Bharatiya Kisan Union(Ugrahan) to c

The convoy includes men, women and children with a huge line-up of 250 trolleys, 20 buses, 35 trucks, equal number of canters and cars. Farmers from nearby villages in Fatehabad have made arrangements for their overnight stay. “1000 farmers from Haryana joined the Dabwali group at Fatehabad where farmer leaders from both Punjab and Haryana addressed them about the black laws. The leaders also criticised the Centre’s corporation-friendly policies in their address,” informed Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary, BKU(Ugrahan). “The government wants to destroy farming which is not an occupation but our culture. We will continue with our peaceful sit-in till these black laws are repealed,” he added. While addressing the farmers at Fatehabad, the leaders also warned them against the government using SYL water issue as a “ploy to divide Punjab and Haryana farmers”.

According to farmer leaders, their counterparts from Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and even as far as Tamilnadu are joining them in their stir. Meanwhile, Punjab farmers who have stayed back in the state have gheraoed offices of BJP leaders and corporators for almost three months now.