Farmers’ stir continues on Delhi-jaipur highway
ALWAR/ KOTA: Amid the Covid-19 spread in the second wave, the agitation against the Centre’s three contentious farm laws continues on the Delhi-jaipur national highway at Shahjahanpur in Alwar, though with reduced numbers.
Sanjay Madhav, convener of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha in Rajasthan, said there were nearly 10,000 farmers at the protest site in the winter season, but a large number of them returned to their villages for crop harvest.
“Still there are around 1500 farmers at the agitation site, blocking the traffic from Delhi to Rajasthan on one side of the
Delhi-jaipur national highway. Our langar (community kitchen), chapati-making machines and washing machines are there at the agitation site,” Madhav said. “We will not leave the agitation venue till the Centre withdraws the three contentious farm laws. We are not afraid of Covid-19; treatment of some farmers, who tested positive, has been done in Shahjahanpur,” he said.
Pawan Duggal, a former MLA and a Communist leader from Rajasthan, said, “Recently there were heat waves and rains at Shahjahanpur, but spirited farmers are braving adverse weather conditions for the last 5 months.”
In a show of harmony at the agitation site, Hindu and Sikh farmers are attending Roza Iftaar with Muslim agitators at the Shahjahanpur.
“The union government is trying to demotivate the farmers by remaining indifferent to our demands. But farmers from neighbouring villages are bringing food, fruits and vegetables for the agitators,” said Amjad, an agitating farmer.
Alwar superintendent of police Ram Murti Joshi said, “Peaceful protests are underway at Shahjahanpur, but the number of agitating farmers has thinned. The administration has conducted Covid-19 vaccination for most of the agitating farmers.”