November 27, 2020 10:24:16 am
Policemen use handcuffs to chain the barricades erected to prevent farmers from crossing the Punjab-Haryana border during the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march near Ambala on Thursday. (PTI photo)
As farmers associated with 29 farmers’ unions broke through barricades at the Haryana border to march towards Delhi on Thursday, BKU (Ugrahan) said its members will begin their march on Friday. The announcement came hours after Ugrahan’s group announced that it will not break barricades or stage dharnas at stops where they have stopped.
Members of BKU (Ugrahan) have been organizing dharnas on the Punjab-Haryana border on the NH-54 highway (Bathinda-Dabwali) and the NH-71 highway (Sangrur-Jind).
The U-turn late at night came after young union members expressed their disgust at the decision made by top management.
Shingaara Singh Maan, Senior Vice President of BKU (Ugrahan), said: “As all unions have moved forward, we want to do so too. Either they didn’t communicate with us properly or there was a problem understanding their point of view. So on Thursday night we decided to march towards Delhi and thousands of our vehicles will depart from NH-54 and NH-71 on Friday at noon. “
Early Thursday morning, several young people had a difference of opinion with the union leadership, something that was expressed publicly.
In Khanauri, in the Sangrur district, near the Jind district of Haryana, more than 300 young people confronted the president of BKU (Ugrahan), Joginder Singh Ugrahan, because they wanted to break down barriers and move on. Later, these youths went ahead and broke barriers to enter Haryana.
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At the time, Joginder Singh Ugrahan said: “Those who made their way towards Haryana by breaking through the barrier have done so independently. It is not a decision of BKU (Ugrahan). We had no plans to confront Haryana if they do not open the way for us, although we are protesting against this decision.
Similarly, on the Bathinda-Dabwali road also more than 100 young people tried to break through the Dabwali barrier set up by the Haryana police twice, but were stopped by union members.
Langar prepares for farmers at Khanauri in Sangrur, near the Jind district of Haryana. (Photo Express)
“We don’t want violence, we want the Haryana government to give us a path on their own, instead of breaking through barricades. Few young people tried to do this. They had been instigated by political parties, they were carrying our flag and wearing our insignia, but we do not believe in this ideology of taking the law into our hands, although we are totally against the Haryana government’s move to seal its borders with Punjab “Shingaara Singh Maan, Vice President of BKU (Ugrahan), had said Thursday afternoon at the Bathinda-Dabwali Morcha. However, late at night, he said: “Now, after much deliberation, we have decided to move on. We will see Friday morning if we have to remove the barricades or Haryana will give way. “
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Meanwhile, farmers from 14 districts have come to these two morchas. Five district units have assembled on the Khanauri-Jind border, while the remaining nine district units have assembled on the Bathinda-Dabwali road.
“We will march forward and we will all go,” said Jasveer Singh, BKU (Ugrahan) leader of Bathinda.
More than 700 langar were organized in both places Thursday, as the gathering was in the thousands. Shingaara Singh Maan added: “We have temporary toilets and toilets and this will also be done in Delhi.”
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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