NEW DELHI: Farmers Won’t Give Up Until They Arrive Central delhi – the seat of power from where the government was seeking its votes – and protest peacefully in Jantar Mantar near the Parliament house for their complaints to be heard by lawmakers, were echoed by protesters on the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana .
The large number of farmers, aggrieved by the three agricultural laws enacted by the government recently, reiterated that they would not accept the offer of the Delhi police to hold their protest at Sant Nirankari camp in Burari, north Delhi.
The number of protesters increased at the Singhu border as farmers camping there for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march joined more counterparts from Punjab and Haryana, all of them refusing to advance towards the Sant Nirankari field, one of the largest in the national capital.
“We have come all the way to protest against the Center’s new agricultural laws. What will we do in Nirankari camp in Burari, satsang? The government took the votes of the farmers by sitting in the center of Delhi. We want to go to Janpath and the gherao house of parliament. We will not return from here, “said Manish Kadian, 38, a village resident in the Jhajjar district of Haryana.
He said that the farmers rejected the offer of the Delhi police to hold a protest on the Burari field.
Gurmej Singh, 62, from Punjab, said farmers will not surrender unless they can reach Jantar Mantar or Ramlila Land in the heart of the national capital and there they carry out their “peaceful” protest.
“We will not go to the Nirankari field. Either we will go to the Jantar Mantar or Ramlila field or we will sit here. We have enough ration for six months and we will not leave the road,” he said.
Singh, flanked by other protesting farmers, claimed that the central government was against farmers and that its new agricultural laws would rob them of their livelihoods.
“I am a farmer and all my life I only dedicate myself to agriculture. We are willing to sacrifice our lives, but we are not going to move from here. This government is not for farmers. They are not worried about the problems of farmers,” he said Singh.
Many of these farmers continued to protest peacefully on the Singhu border, where they have been holding meetings to decide their next course of action and have also arranged for an extended stay at the Delhi-Haryana border.
Many farmers cleaned the roads, cooked their lunch and collected garbage, keeping in mind the importance of hygiene, especially amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Tezveer, 49, a resident of Jhajjar and pradhan of Beri Anaj Mandi, said residents welcome Punjab farmers and give them their full support.
“The government should withdraw this law or give MSP to farmers. We fully support farmers and offer them all possible services. We come every day from Jhajjar to the Singhu border and carry raw rations and other necessary things, including milk , for the protesters. ” ” he said.
Most of the farmers gathered at the Tikri border between Delhi and Haryana have also rejected the offer of the Delhi police to go to the North Delhi protest site.
Sukhwinder Singh, who has been camping on the Tikri border since Friday night, said: “We will continue to protest here. We will not move from here. Several other farmers have not yet joined us from Haryana. They are on their way. We are. He will not move from here and we will continue our fight from here. ”
When asked why they don’t want to enter the national capital despite the Delhi police allowing it, Singh said: “We don’t want to go to any land provided by them in Burari. We want to go to Jantar Mantar and hold a peaceful Demonstration. There. Meetings are being held, and until the next course of action is decided, we will continue to protest here on the border peacefully, “he added.
Farmers on the Tikri border also seem to have come a long way prepared. They have come fully prepared with rations and cooking utensils, and have been charging their phones in their vehicles.
Jagtar Singh Bhagiwander, another farmer camping in Tikri, also maintained that they will not go ahead and will continue to fight for their rights from the national highway.
“We will not proceed to Burari. Yesterday, shortly after we were granted permission to enter Delhi, we were told to advance in groups of 50 people, one after another. We refuse to move in groups. This is an attempt to separate ourselves. If we have united all the way across different borders, we will remain united. From now on, we have decided to stay here in Tikri. We will continue our fight from here until the course of action is decided. ” he said.
Farmers protesting the Center’s three farm laws have expressed fear that the laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them “at the mercy” of large corporations.
The Center has invited various Punjab farmer organizations to another round of talks in Delhi on December 3.
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