Updated: December 10, 2020 12:52:49 pm
Farmers block a road on the Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana. (AP Photo)
The ongoing farmers’ protest on the Delhi borders has seen a rapid rise in Haryana’s participation and those who do not support the protest have been branded as “traitors” in the state’s villages. The “traitor” taunts are one of the many reasons more of Haryana have come out to support the uproar.
One criterion for the growing popularity of the upheaval was the hashtag – “#Dushyant_Kisan Ya_ Kursi” – mocking MP CM Dushyant Chautala from the state that was trending on the microblogging site Twitter with 1.6 lakh of tweets as of Wednesday night. .
Dushyant faces the anger of the farmers for supporting the alliance government in Haryana and not siding with the agitators.
A peasant leader from Hisar, Suresh Koth, who is camping on the Singhu border, said: “Almost 40% of the total farmers on the Singhu border are now from Haryana, while the rest are from Punjab.”
A Fatehabad peasant leader, Mandeep Nathwan, who has been camping on the Tikri border since November 26, added: “On the Tikri border, the number of farmers in Haryana and Punjab is almost equal, but the participation is likely of Haryana surpass those of Punjab in a week. “
However, a senior Haryana police officer claims that Haryana’s turnout is only 10%, but admitted that the number of Haryana rioters has increased in the last week. According to the official, in total there are about 30,000 farmers on the Singhu border, while 20,000 more are on the Tikri border. The agitators question the police estimates, adding that the figures are much higher.
Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava said that the police will monitor the situation at ground level so that no adverse incident occurs. “We handle agitation taking into account the angle of law and order. Our officials stay in contact with the farmers’ leaders, as sometimes many people get sick there too, ”Yadava told The Indian Express.
Investigations of the Haryana villages revealed that farmers have been organizing their own vehicles to move to the Delhi border without mobilization of any leaders. Large numbers of Haryana farmers go to the borders of Delhi in the morning and return at night. A part of them have even started camping there.
“We call them traitors who did not go to the borders of Delhi in support of the farmers’ agitation,” said a Khap leader from Fatehabad district, Sube Singh Samain.
Explaining the reasons behind the spread of the unrest, a Khap leader from Jind, Tek Ram Kandela, said: “Farmers are not satisfied with offers from the central government. We will follow any decision made by the 40-member farmer leadership committee. “
Farmers protest in Shambhu Toll Plaza, on the Ambala border. (Express photo: Harmeet Sodhi)
Kandela is with the ruling BJP and was a candidate for the party’s candidacy during Jind bypoll in early 2019. Later, the Khattar government in March 2019 appointed him Chairman of the Haryana State Cooperative Labor and Construction Federation Limited ( Laborfed). After the formation of a new government following the October 2019 elections, Kandela did not receive any government assignments.
It’s not just that Haryana farmers are enthusiastically taking part in the uproar, but they are even supplying non-stop rations to the agitators camping on the borders of Delhi. Sources claim that residents of Karsola village in Jind have sent 50 quintals of laadoos, while residents of neighboring Ujhana village have sent 10,000 liters of milk to the shakers so far. The inhabitants of Manoharpur (Jind) have sent 1,000 liters of milk to the shakers. Residents of Pauli village have collected five lakh rupees to organize a langar for those marching to the borders of Delhi.
“There is almost no farmer who does not oppose these laws in Haryana now,” admitted a BJP deputy from Haryana who requested anonymity. A senior JJP leader also admitted overwhelming support for the uproar, but added that “it is difficult for the Center to talk to 40 leaders at once.”
However, the president of the Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Gurnam Singh Chaduni, said: “We are united and have a common demand, let’s abolish the three agricultural laws.”
Initially, the movement of farmers in Haryana was mainly restricted to the Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Ambala and Fatehabad districts, as these districts have active agricultural organisms. However, there was also an undercurrent among farmers in other parts of the state.
A JJP leader said that the efforts of the Haryana police to stop the farmers’ movement to move to Delhi had been “counterproductive” with the move that energized the farmers of Haryana. “Without being detained, the farmers could have gone to Delhi and simply organized a demonstration there,” said the JJP leader. However, the Haryana Police tried to stop their movement anticipating that the rioters planned to go to Delhi on ration for several days.
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