Farmers ready to escalate stir to counter govt’s ‘repressive’ steps

UNION ANNOUNCES SERIES OF EVENTS BEGINNING FEB 23, BKU-UGRAHAN ASKS FARMERS TO REACH DELHI IN LARGE NUMBERS FOR FEB 27 RALLY

NEW DELHI: Protesting farmers on Sunday announced a series of events from February 23-27 to intensify their agitation against the three new agricultural laws as they accused the government of adopting “repressive” measures against them. They also said they will soon devise a strategy to keep the protest going for long.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the protests, said at a press conference that under their proposed escalation programme, February 23 will be observed as “Pagdi Sambhal Diwas” and February 24 as “Daman Virodhi

Diwas”, essentially to underline that farmers must be respected and no “repressive measures” should be taken against them.

The union said February 26 will be observed as “Yuva Kisan Diwas” (youth farmers day) and February 27 as “Mazdoor Kisan Ekta Divws” (farmer-labourer unity day).

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November 26, demanding a repeal of these laws.

“The government is adopting all the repressive measures, mischief and manipulation, including arrests, detentions and registration of cases against the protesters. The Singhu border has been fortified and appears to be an international border,” farmer leader Yogendra Yadav said.

A long-term plan for movement will be discussed in view of the Parliament session from March 8, and the strategy will be shared in the next meeting of the SKM, he said. Another leader, Darshan Pal, also alleged “repression” by the government.

He said around 32 people have got bail out of 122 arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the violence and vandalism in the national capital during the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day.

Don’t make it a prestige issue: Amarinder to govt

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday appealed to the Centre not to make revoking its three farm laws a prestige issue and consider so to find a long-term solution to the problem.

He said an early resolution to the issue was critical to the safety of Punjab.

Lakhs of farmers accrued even more debt in last 4 years of Cong rule. They stopped paying instalments hoping the govt would fulfill its promise SUKHBIR SINGH BADAL, Shiromani Akali Dal chief

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh must implement his loan waiver promise completely, and must not leave farmers in the lurch by going back on his word.

Talking to media persons at Dasuya village in Hoshiarpur district after paying his condolences to the family of fatherson duo of Jagtar Singh and Kirpal Singh, who committed suicide at Muhadipur village, after their loans were not waived, Sukhbir alleged that the tragic incident had exposed the Capt Amarinder Singh government. He was accompanied by senior SAD leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Bikram Singh Majithia and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema.

“The incident proves that even loans of marginal farmers like Jagtar Singh who owned only one acre of land have not been waived. This despite the fact that Capt Amarinder Singh promised on the holy Gutka Sahib that the Congress government would execute a complete loan waiver once it came to power,” Sukhbir added.

“Lakhs of farmers had accrued even more debt in the last four years of Congress rule. They stopped paying their loan installments hoping the Congress government would fulfill its promise. The loan waiver never came for farmers like Jagtar. The CM is directly responsible for these suicides as well as 1,500 other farmer deaths due to suicide in the last four years,” the Ferozepur MP claimed.

He also asked the central government to listen to the voice of the farming community which was agitating against the three agri-laws.