Farmers’ Protest Continues, Nationwide ‘Rail Roko’ Called On March 10

The protesting farmers will resume their agitation with a nationwide ‘Rail Roko’ on March 10 from 12 pm to 4 pm, farm leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal announced on Sunday.

The protesting farmers, who are camping at the border points between Punjab and Haryana, will begin marching towards Delhi on March 6 in a “peaceful manner”, the farm leaders said.

Pandher and Dallewal, who were speaking in Punjab’s Balloh village – the native place of a farmer who died recently during clashes – said that the farmers will intensify their agitation at the existing protest points till their demands are met by the Centre.

“The farmers from far away states, who cannot reach on tractor trolleys, should head to Delhi by trains and by other means of transport. It will also become clear whether the government allows those farmers to enter those farmers who go without tractor trolleys…At Shambhu and Khanauri, the agitation will continue like before and will be further intensified. Our agitation will continue till the demands are met,” Pandher said.

He added that all the Punjab panchayats should pass a resolution in support of the farmers’ demands, adding that the Centre is using “all tactics” to stop their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.

“The Centre is trying to build a perception that the current agitation is limited to Punjab and the fight is led by only two forums. But we want to make it clear that more than 200 outfits in the country are part of the two forums…The perception being created that the agitation may die down when Model Code of Conduct for the polls come into force is not correct. We may have to fight today, tomorrow, but we will continue to fight for our rights,” the farm leader said as quoted by PTI.

Farmers protest

The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by more than 200 farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, began on February 13, to press the Centre to accept several demands. The farm bodies are demanding a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) – a condition they had set in 2021 when they agreed to withdraw their agitation against the now-repealed farm laws. They are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, and farm debt waiver.

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their agitation was stopped by the security forces.