Farmers protest across Punjab and Haryana, demand removal of agriculture from WTO

Punjab and Haryana witnessed widespread demonstrations on Monday as farmers, affiliated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), parked their tractors along highways, calling for the exclusion of the agriculture sector from the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. The SKM, a non-political umbrella organization comprising various farm unions, organized the protests as part of their ‘Quit WTO Day.’

The demonstration unfolded in the aftermath of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, where thousands of farmers, led by SKM and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, were halted at Khanauri and Shambhu points on Punjab’s border with Haryana by security forces. The farmers are pressing the Central government for several demands, including a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

The ‘Quit WTO Day’ protest, held from 12 noon to 3 pm, saw farmers strategically parking their tractors along state and national highways, avoiding disruptions to vehicular traffic. In Hoshiarpur, farmers, led by Doaba Kisan Committee’s state president Jangveer Singh Chauhan, parked their tractors at various locations, including the Jalandhar-Jammu National Highway and Bijli Ghar Chowk in Tanda.

Chauhan, addressing the gathering, criticized WTO policies, labelling them as “anti-farmer.” Similar demonstrations took place in different regions, with farmers from Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) (Rajewal), BKU (Qadian), BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), and other outfits participating. The protesters not only called for the removal of agriculture from the WTO agreement but also demanded legal guarantees for debt waiver, implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations, and pension for farmers.

In Amritsar, Ludhiana, and other locations, farmers parked their vehicles along highways in Ajnala, Jandiala Guru, Rayya, Beas, and Ludhiana-Chandigarh road. Meanwhile, in Haryana’s Hisar, farmers staged protests at 50 locations, strategically parking their tractors along state and national highways.

Shamsher Singh Nambardar, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) state vice president, asserted that the demonstrations aimed to highlight the government’s alleged failure to provide MSP on all crops due to WTO policies. As the farmers intensify their protests, the demand to delink agriculture from the WTO agreement gains momentum, marking a significant development in the ongoing agrarian unrest.