Marches, slogans as women protesters take centrestage
Activists address gatherings to motivate people to join tractor march on January 26
BARNALA/JALANDHAR/ KARNAL/ ROHTAK: A large number of women on Monday held protests in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana to support the farmers’ ongoing protests against the Centre’s three contentious agriculture laws.
The protest marches were taken out to mark ‘Mahila Kisan Diwas’ (Women Farmers’ Day) on the nationwide call of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha in recognition of the contribution and support of women in the protests. In Dhanaula town of Punjab’s Barnala district, thousands of women under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (EktaUgrahan) organised a protest. They also flayed Harjit Singh Grewal, a Punjab BJP leader, for allegedly using defamatory language against the farmers.
Sandeep Kaur, a protester, said women from five districts of the Malwa region participated in the protest to convey to Grewal that they were united and would fight against the BJP’s policies. Also, a number of farmers gheraoed BJP observer Vijay Singla who reached Barnala town to hold a meeting in view of the upcoming local body polls.
In Jalandhar, women held a march and organised jago in various villages. The march led by woman activists of the Kirti Kisan Union started from Uppal Khalsa village and passed through Sidhawan, Pandori, Bilga and Samrai befor concluding at Dyalpur village. The woman activists addressed gatherings in several villages to motivate the people to join the scheduled tractor march on January 26.
In Haryana’s Karnal and Rohtak districts, women joined the agitation at the toll plazas. Some of the women who reached the Bastara toll plaza in Karnal observed one-day hunger strike.
Tractor rally in Kaithal, Kurukshetra
Farmer union activists took out a tractor rally in support of the tractor march-call by farmer unions in Kaithal and Kurukshetra. Thousands of farmers participated in the protest march on tractors, cars and bikes. The protesters alleged that those in power are using the government machinery to suppress this agitation.
“The tractor rally was taken out to show solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ agitation and the tractor march-call given by our leaders,” said Nayab Singh, a BKU leader from Kurukshetra.
The farmers took out tractor marches in many parts of Bhiwani, Rohtak, Hisar, Jind and other parts of the district.
Women Farmers’ Day was celebrated at Tikri border, Kitlana toll plaza in Dadri, Khatkar toll plaza in Jind and other toll plazas. Women also burnt the effigy of International Monetary Fund (IMF) for backing three farm laws.
Social activist Medha Patekar also joined the dharna at Tikri border.
“Most women have been engaging in agricultural activities along with their male counterparts,” she added.