Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, UP and some other states are protesting against the Agreement on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services for Farmers (Empowerment and Protection), the Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act and the Act Essential Products (Amendment) Act. Enacted in September, the three agricultural laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agricultural sector that will eliminate middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way to remove the Minimum Livelihood Price safety cushion and end the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of large corporations.
Farmers’ unions today announced a one-day relay hunger strike at all protest sites to push for the repeal of the laws. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana, as well as those protesting on the Delhi borders, observed ‘Shradhanjali Diwas’ on Sunday to pay tribute to their brothers “who died during the ongoing upheaval.”
Farmers’ bodies have claimed that more than 30 farmers who participated in the uproar died due to different reasons, including heart attacks and road accidents. The peasants held ‘ardaas’ (prayer) and in some places they also held protest marches against the Center.
“Farmers will start a one-day relay hunger strike on Monday at all protest sites against the new farm laws. It will be started by an 11-member team at the protest sites here,” said the head of Swaraj India, Yogendra Yadav, at a press conference on the Singhu border.
He also urged people protesting against the laws across the country to observe a one-day hunger strike at their respective protest sites. Farmers’ leader Jagjeet Singh Dalewala said that farmers will not allow tolls on Haryana’s roads from December 25 to 27. “From December 25-27, we will not allow all of Haryana’s tolls to take a toll. We will prevent them from doing so.
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