Farmers warned of politicians’ bid to hijack protests

First mahapanchayat held in Punjab

The farmers’ union leaders on Thursday cautioned farmers protesting against the contentious agricultural laws against the nefarious attempts being made by politicians to hijack their agitation for narrow political gains. The leaders asserted that the ongoing agitation was not limited to only farmers but had become a mass movement to stop the onslaught by corporate bodies.

Addressing a mahapanchayat in Punjab, the union leaders emphasised that their agitation was apolitical as it was launched by farmers, farm workers and ordinary people for their own survival. This was the first mahapanchayat in Punjab since the widespread protests -- led largely by farmers from the state -- against the Centre’s three new laws began in late November last year.

After massive turnouts in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the mahapanchayat in Punjab saw thousands of people turning up in tractor trollies, cars, SUVs, buses and trucks. The mahapanchayat proceedings were delayed by more than an hour due to bad weather and the late arrival of several leaders.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s Surat Singh Dharamkot, Kulwant Singh Sandhu, Manjit Dhaner, Nirbhai Singh Dhudike and Harinder Singh Lakhowal were among the top leaders

who attended the mahapanchayat. The SKM is the umbrella body of the protesting farmers’ unions.

This was also the first time in the ongoing agitation that Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) members also joined the event. Though the outfit was coordinating with the SKM on a regular basis, it has never shared the stage with the Morcha, neither in Punjab nor at the Delhi borders. (Ekta

BKU Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said: “Though we had been organising our protests independently after coordinating with SKM, when the cause is big and there are efforts on to create a divide, we had to give a message of unity and hence we are part of this mahapanchayat. After all, everyone is protesting for the repeal of the farm laws as of now.” The Punjab mahapanchayat also holds immense political significance as the state government has been openly supporting the farmers’ agitation, unlike the BJP governments in Haryana and UP. Punjab will hold local body polls later this week. The farmers’ protests have been a talking point even in the local body elections. The Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal are the two main Opposition parties in Punjab and they have already extended their support to the farmers’ agitation.

At the mahapanchayat, the union leaders vowed to fight the Narendra Modi government till it reaches a definitive conclusion on the issue of the farm laws. Mr Dhaner even praised Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Rakesh Tikait for giving a new lease of life to the struggle.

Mr Dhaner said: “It is no longer a fight of only farmers but has now become a mass agitation. In the ongoing agitation, 99 per cent of people are standing by farmers but unfortunately Prime Minister Narndra Modi has chosen to side with corporate houses.”

Mr Lakhowal said that the Centre’s claim that its doors were open for a dialogue on the farm laws was a white lie because all the doors had been slammed shut in the form of barricades erected on the borders, with nails and iron rods fixed on the roads, and denial of basic amenities to protesters. “Farmers are prepared to shed their last drop of blood to safeguard their lands and their rights to remunerative prices,” he added.

Mr Ugrahan exhorted farmers and people to be prepared for a long-drawn struggle because “the fight is not merely against Modi or the NDA government”.