Farmers from Haryana, Punjab throng Tikri stir
NEW DELHI: From early Sunday morning, dozens of tractors, trucks and buses lined up on the Haryana side of the Tikri border, unloading scores of supporters, mostly women, who came in to join the protesters in the Capital.
Hundreds walked several kilometres to reach the protest site, singing folk songs, waving the tricolour and raising slogans to encourage the movement, which gained fresh impetus a few days ago, even as it looked like petering out after the violence in Delhi on Republic Day.
However, the renewed show of support, mostly from villages in Haryana and Punjab, was tinged with tension, with farmer leaders on stage imploring participants to avoid crossing over to the Capital’s side of the border, as news began to spread of Delhi Police making arrests in connection with the January 26 clashes, when the protesters’ tractor rally descended into chaos, culminating in several farmers storming the Red Fort.
“We request our farmer brothers to stay at the protest site and not cross over to Delhi. Many of our supporters have been arrested by the police blaming them falsely of inciting violence on January 26. We know our demands are valid and we will win this battle,” said Chaudhary Raman Singh Pradhan, a member of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a farmers’ union.
Chandra Devi, 72, who reached the Tikri protest site on Sunday afternoon from Sundarpur in Haryana, said eight of her family members have been protesting against the three farm laws at Delhi’s borders for over a month. On Sunday, three women and eight children from her family also joined in.
“Mothers from Haryana and Punjab have been sending their sons to fight for the country [in the armed forces] for years. We do not need to prove our patriotism and dedication for our country to this government or to anyone,” she said.
Phoolvanti Devi, 88, from Bahadurgarh, said if the farmers had to cause unrest in Delhi, they would not have waited two months.
“From teenagers to senior citizens, people across ages have been camping here for over two months. Why would we cause unrest now? If they agree to our demands and repeal the three farm laws, all of these borders will be empty the very next day. In our village, if children get stubborn and throw tantrums, mothers box their ears and punish them — this government also needs that,” said Phoolvanti.
Protesters at the site have also stepped up vigil since Friday, after a group claiming to be “local residents” gathered near the protest site, demanding that the farmers be evicted. They have been taking turns to guard the entry to the main stage area throughout the day.
“They said they [Friday’s counter-protesters] are locals, but how is it possible that all these locals from around Tikri, Ghazipur and Singhu suddenly decided to gather with the demand of evicting the protestors on the same day. It is clear this was organised by forces that do not want the farmers to continue their protests,” said Chaudhary Rohtas Singh, a farmer who joined the protests on Saturday from Sirsa in Haryana.
Singh said that after watching Bharatiya Kisan Union (BJU) leader Rakesh Tikait break down before the media on Friday, he decided to take a bus to Delhi.
“My mother saw the television and cried and said ‘Beta, kisan toh haar gaya’ (Farmers have lost). I told my mother we will not allow that to happen and took the bus the next morning,” Singh said.