Punjab farmers leave for Delhi in droves after Singhu attack
Villagers from Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Sangrur and Barnala districts come out in a show of solidarity with those protesting at borders in national capital
AMRITSAR/ JALANDHAR/LUDHIANA/SANGRUR : Thousands of farmers from villages of Punjab on Saturday left for the national capital a day after protesters at the Singhu border were attacked with stones and sticks by a group of nearly 200 people claiming to be local residents.
In the state’s Doaba region comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur districts, a considerable support poured in response to the call to reach Delhi.
A large number of people from Jandiala, Nakodar, Shahkot, Lohian towns of Jalandhar district and Sultanpur Lodhi, Phagwara and Bholath sub-divisions of Kapurthala district left in tractor-trailers and cars for Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders.
At Phagwara’s Chachrari village, more than 150 vehicles left for the Singhu border.
Kandi Kisan Union chairman Bhupinder Singh Ghuman said that they held meetings in the several villages to arrange for the travel of farmers.
Committees formed to mobilise support
In Jalandhar’s Nakodar sub-division, residents of Ughowal, Umarpura, Shadipur and others formed village-level committees to send people to Singhu border on a regular basis. In Nakodar town, farmer activists and villagers held a march to show solidarity with the farmers.
Rahimpur village sarpanch Harpreet Singh said, “We have decided to send 40-50 residents to the protest sites and will keep rotating them after 5-6 days.
Kawaljit Singh, a leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), which has a considerable base in Majha, said, “Sensing the situation, scores of vehicles left for Delhi in the night itself. Today, nearly 80 vehicles left for the protest site from Jandiala Guru, Baba Bakala, Mehta, Tarsikka, Majitha, Kathunangal, Guru Ka Bagh and Bauli Sahib of Amritsar district.”
“Soon after the violence, our leadership called the farmers owing allegiance to the committee in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Moga, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Kapurthala and Jalandhar districts to reach the protest site at the earliest so that the situation could be tackled in case the agitators are attacked again,” he added.
Hoardings, flex boards with appeals installed
In Ludhiana district also, announcements were being made from gurdwaras and public meetings were held with villagers to mobilise support for the agitation.
Burj Littan village sarpanch Harinder Sidhu said, “Hoardings and flex boards have also been installed urging the farmers to join the protest in Delhi as it is the fight for our livelihood. We are also distributing pamphlets in the villages and trying to clear the doubts regarding the law and order situation at the Delhi border.”
BKU Ugrahan faction to send activists in large numbers
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (EktaUgrahan) on Saturday decided to send jathas in large numbers to Tikri border from Sunday. The decision was taken in a meeting at Cheema village in Barnala district.
The outfit claimed to have sent 1,000 volunteers to the Singhu protest site from the Tikri border. “The BJP government plotted the Red Fort episode with the help of its people. The trained fascist forces of BJP and RSS are attacking farmers,” Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, general secretary BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan), said.
Political parties motivate villagers
Leaders of the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were also seen motivating the villagers to participate in the stir.
Youth Akali Dal (rural) Ludhiana district president Prabhjot Dhaliwal said, “We are persuading the villagers as we belong to the farming community. No activity is taking place under the party flag. We are also helping the farmers with their requirements for the journey.”