Sarwan Singh Pandher, General Secretary of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, stated on Tuesday that every attempt was made during the meeting to find a solution to avoid a confrontation with the government and that they expected a positive outcome.
“We want to present our views before the whole of India that we tried our best in yesterday’s meeting to take some kind of decision so that we can avoid confrontation with the government and we get something that we had hoped for. We can only hope and trust. After doing this, we sat in the meeting for 5 hours,” Pandher said while addressing media in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib.
He accused the police of harassing people in Haryana and Punjab areas, citing concern about the situation in these states.
“We presented the position of Haryana before them that you have turned Haryana into the valley of Kashmir, you are sending police to every village in Haryana. You have sent water cannons to every village of Haryana. Farmers and relatives of every village of Haryana are being harassed,” he said.
“It is being said that your son is doing MBBS, they will not let him do it, the kind of degree your son should get. If your brother is working at home, we will fire him from his job and cancel your passport. Then other types of harassment are also more and more, whatever kind we say, it is more and more. See it seems that Punjab and Haryana are not two states from India but an international border, by what we are seeing now,” Pandher asserted.
The farmer leader dismissed the Congress party’s claims of support for farmers and laborers, saying that the latter is just as responsible for the farmers’ suffering as the ruling BJP.
“We are the farmers and labourers of the country, whatever is being said in the media, no Congress supports us, we consider Congress as guilty as BJP is guilty. These policies have been brought by Congress, We are not left, CPI, and CPM who ruled Bengal, made 20 mistakes, what kind of revolution came from there in West Bengal, we are not on anyone’s side, we are farmers and labourers,” Pandher said.
“Those who are going to raise their voice are their men, and then we will appeal to our people, whether they are singers of Punjab or the country or intellectuals, NRI brothers, whether it is another civil society that also includes journalists,” he said.
“This is not just our issue, or question, that is definitely in this big movement, it is not just us, this is the demand of 140 crore countrymen,” Pandher added.
The farmers have presented 12 demands to the central government, for which they are marching to Delhi.
The protest was organized by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, which is led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
According to the protesting farmers, the centre guaranteed them higher crop prices after which they terminated their 2021 protest.
They want to pass legislation ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, as suggested by the Swaminathan Commission report.
They also want a comprehensive debt waiver and a system to pay pensions to farmers and farm workers.
Farmers have also advocated the repeal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 and the reintroduction of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, which requires farmer approval and compensation equal to four times the collector rate.
They also demand that those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri massacres be punished.
Farmers have also made an appeal to offer 200 days of employment per year and a daily pay of Rs 700 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA), which is linked to farming.
In addition, a demand has been made for compensation to the families of farmers who died during the protests in 2021, as well as a job for any family member.
Meanwhile, to maintain law and order, Delhi police have already implemented Section 144, which restricts the entry of tractor trolleys and huge gatherings.
Images from Delhi’s Gazipur border, Shambhu border, and Tikri border show barricades and barbed wires constructed on highways that prevent entry.
To prevent protesting farmers from approaching the national capital, multi-layered barricades have been constructed around these boundaries.
According to the police, a strong force of around 2000 people, including CAPF, Crime Branch personnel, and battalions, is maintaining watch to ensure law and order and resolve any unpleasant situations.
Delhi Police has urged residents to cooperate and support to law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order in the city.