Charuni leads agitating farmers’ contingent to Delhi from Ambala
The movement led to traffic chaos on both sides of the border from as early as 9am
AMBALA: To give a fresh zeal to their demand for repealing the three central farm laws, farmers affiliated to Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) moved to the protest site at Singhu border near Delhi from Ambala’s Shambhu border in a large number of vehicles on Sunday. The movement led to traffic chaos on both sides of the border from as early as 9am despite the presence of police.
2,500 to 3,500 part of contingent: BKU
The farmers’ vehicles left around 11:30am with the union’s state president Gurnam Singh Charuni leading it. He claimed that more than 2,500-3,000 vehicles were part of the contingent.
This even as another group of farmers were staging a sit-in outside the Tohana Sadar police station demanding the release of two of their activists who were jailed for protesting outside a Jannayak Janta Party legislator’s house.
Farmers from Patiala and Mohali in Punjab also joined their Haryana counterparts in their march towards Delhi.
Among them was a 11-yearold boy, Amanjot, who came with his father Harpreet from Mohali. When asked, he said he is aware of the gravity of the situation and hence came to support the farmers. “The government wants to suppress the protests in the name of Covid but no farmer will leave any protest site till the laws are taken back,” he said.
Another agitator, an 81-yearold former Air Force officer, Gulab Singh said he has been registering his protest by wearing black clothes since August 15 last year.
“I have been wearing black clothes and a turban of the same colour as a mark of protest against these black laws,” Singh, who is also the union’s district vice president, said.
Will start mission UP soon: Charuni
When asked about the possibility of talks with the Modi government, Charuni told reporters that even if there is no discussion with the government on a solution, laws have to be taken back.
“They are more scared than us. Just look at their situation. Bharatiya Janata Party is losing everywhere. We showed them what we can do in West Bengal, now we are preparing for mission UP against them,” he said referring to the state polls scheduled next year.
On the Tohana controversy, he said the matter had almost ended after an apology by JJP MLA Devinder Babli but farmers will agitate till their fellow activists are released.
In November last year, farmers from most of the north-haryana and Punjab region had gathered in Ambala to move towards Delhi.