With ration, LPG cylinders, farmers leave for New Delhi
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
AMRITSAR, NOVEMBER 27
Firmly holding a travel bag containing clothes and belongings for daily needs, a septuagenarian farmer couldn’t have found it easier to board a tractor-trailer. Parshottam Singh, a resident of Jhande village on the Amritsar-Batala highway, had already contributed sacks of wheat, rice and cereals grown on his piece of land.
“My father Sulakhan Singh was in the Indian British Army. However, he left it to join the Azad Hind Fauj of Subhash Chandra Bose to liberate the country from foreign yoke. Now, my solitary goal is to stand for the cause of farming in this hour of crisis and my entire family is ready to follow suit in case the need arises,” he said.
He owns 10 acres of land which he tills with the help of his two sons, one of which had retired from the army. Meanwhile, one of his two grandsons resides in Canada and is a truck driver there. “All cannot go overseas for their living and farming also provides a decent living,” Parshottam added.
Amolakjeet Singh, 28, of Naraingarh village, sounds an alarm to dreamers of abroad. He said he had lost about Rs8.5 lakh while trying to go to Italy and UK in search for greener pastures. “Unluckily, both attempts were foiled with deceit and I suffered a huge loss of money,” he revealed, before adding, “farming is the only vocation on which my entire family depends upon for bread.”
He said now government wants to end their liberty by putting them under the thumb of corporate houses. “Look at the approach of these corporate houses. They are selling all household goods, including vegetables and groceries, denying trading opportunities to even small traders and karyana stores.”
They were part of the groups of farmers, gathered under the patronage of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) heading towards Delhi on Friday — carrying ration, LPG cylinders and other materials to camp for what seems to be a long agitation. Trolleys were finely covered under plastic sheets to provide safety in case of rain and inclement weather. Each participant was carrying a bag full of clothes and things of personal needs.
Before moving out of district they assembled at the Golden Gate, situated on the GT road. Addressing the protesters, Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the KMSC, said, another group of farmers from Tarn Taran would join them on the way to Delhi. He said they would like to cross the Shambhu barrier to gain entry in the national capital. “We are taking along ration for months. Next batch of farmers would move out of the district after 20 days,” he told. The KMSC spearheaded blockade of Amritsar-Delhi railway line at Devidaspura village on Friday.
Their demands include the rollback of three central farm laws. These legislations pertained to the Essential Commodities (EC) Act, to free up inter-state trade in agricultural commodities and provide a regulatory framework for contract farming.
