In a bid to intensify farmers’ protest, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) General Secretary announced that farmers will ‘gherao’ or surround Governor’s offices between January 20 to January 25, 2021.
During a press conference on January 14, to discuss the on-going struggle and future plans for the farmers’ movement, Hannan Mollah said that farmers will continue their protests at the Singhu border and various other points in the country.
“Today marks the fifty-first day of the farmers’ movement at the Singhu border. Lakhs of people are sitting there to demand repeal of the three laws. Many untoward incidents have occurred over time. The judiciary has made unkind decisions while a false campaign has started against the movement. However, our protests will continue. There is no other way left before us,” he said.
On January 13, farmer leaders resolved to intensify programmes at the district-level with indefinite strikes and dharnas.
Further, regarding the January 26 programme, Mollah said farmers will wait for the official programmes to be over before the farmers start their parade. He said farmers respect the republic of India and will carry out a peaceful march.
He also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to farmers for his failures which have been acknowledged by the court as well. Nonetheless, he said farmers will continue to join Union Ministers for talks.
“These 50 days have been one of the longest democratic movements in the country and the largest coalition. We appeal to the people to stand by annadaata and support us,” he said.
Mollah also acknowledged the role of women farmers who have been coming to protest sites in large numbers.
Accordingly, regarding the Chief Justice of India’s comment about women farmers he said, “Women have equal rights. Nobody forced them to come to the protest. How can you question their right to protest? This is a sad commentary by the Supreme Court.”
Similarly, AIKS All India Joint Secretary Vijoo Krishnan criticised the government for spreading the false information that Kerala, Karnataka and other southern states have not participated in the movement.
Apart from the continuous dharnas in all districts of Kerala, its state resolution opposing the laws and the indefinite strikes in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Krishnan said that there have been thousands of tractor marches in Vijayawada and Tirupathi cities of Andhra Pradesh.
In the East, West Bengal observed massive jathas while Bihar carried out a massive protest in Patna resulting in lathi-charge. There were also protests in and other districts. Similarly, Telangana reported continuing bus jathas.
During Shahjahanpur protests, people from Rajasthan, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir visited the protest site. The Palwal area also reported supporters from Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union President S. Bhupinder Singh Mann said that he will not participate in the four-member committee constituted by the Supreme Court. Farmers coalition Samyukta Kisan Morcha had already distanced itself from the possibility of a court-appointed committee.
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