Farmers gear up for 'Dilli Chalo' march

The farmers are going door to door in villages to collect ration for the ‘Dilli Chalo’ march from the Khanauri border on December 6.

Besides taking supplies for five months, the farmers have modified their tractor-trailers to be used as rooms and kitchens during winter.

They have appealed to the villagers to send at least one person from each house for the ‘Dilli chalo’ march.

Resham Singh Yatri, general secretary, BKU (Sidhupur), Bathinda, said, “Preparations are going on in full swing. After the Centre conceded to our demands during the 2020-21 stir, we are getting a good response from the public.”

He said he along with the people from 121 villages of Bathinda district had reached the Khanauri border and in another couple of days more residents would arrive here.

Yatri said, “We are taking adequate ration, including pulses, wheat and rice. We are prepared for a long haul and will come back only after the Centre accepts our demands.”

Several teams were on the ground for mobilising support for the protest, he said.

Another farm union leader claimed that the protest had been necessitated due to the farmers’ demand for a law guaranteeing MSP. If implemented, the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations would revolutionise the agricultural sector by addressing issues like crop insurance, debt relief and additional monetary compensation for land, he said.

“Other demands include punishment to the perpetrators of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, pension for farmers above the age of 58 and implementation of ‘Fasal Bima Yojna’ in letter and spirit,” he said.