No longer farmers’ stir alone: Unions
Kuldip Bhatia
Jagraon (Ludhiana), Feb 11
Not just farmers, but people from all walks of life attended Punjab’s first “kisan mahapanchayat” here on Thursday. Women too participated in large numbers. Enthused by the massive turnout, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha leader BS Rajewal claimed that the determination shown by farmers camping at Delhi borders had shaken the Modi government, “which is now trying to find a face-saving formula to wriggle out of the mess it created through the agri laws.”
Ready to amend laws, if need be: Centre
The Union Government is ready to discuss the new laws with farmers’ leaders with an open mind and to amend these, if necessary, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.
He said the agitation had “awakened” the entire nation and the global community too was keenly watching the developments in India. “The government is out to disband the mandi system by allowing free trade of foodgrain so as to leave the farmers at the mercy of big business houses,” Rajewal alleged.
He said farmers would hold candlelight marches on February 14 to pay tributes to the Pulwama martyrs and observe February 16 as “kisan-mazdoor day” in memory of Sir Chhotu Ram. Other leaders, SS Dharamkot, KS Sandhu, Manjit Dhaner, Nirbhai S Dhudike, HS Lakhowal and JS Ugrahan, vowed to take the agitation to its logical conclusion. Dhaner claimed it was no longer a farmers’ struggle. “With a majority of people backing the farmers, it has become a mass movement,” he said. Ugrahan exhorted the people to prepare for a long battle. “The government is trying to impose a globally failed model of agricultural system on the farmers. Over 80 per cent farmers, especially small cultivators, will lose their landholdings to corporates because of the laws” he claimed.
A series of ‘mahapanchayats’ have been held in Haryana against the farm laws.Three of these were addressed by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait, who has been spearheading the protest at the Ghazipur border for over two months.
