Gurdeep Singh Bhatti/Tons
Tohana, January 4
Joginder Singh Ugrahan, President of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) in his address during the Kisan Mahapanchayat held at the Additional Anaj Mandi here today on the invitation of the United Farmers’ Front, alleged that the central government is reneging on its promise and that they should end the Delhi movement. withdrawing from the agreement made for He alleged that the central government is going to re-implement the agriculture law through the back door with the intention of handing over the grain trade to corporate houses. He asked to put pressure on the central government to accept Dallewal’s demand. Ugrahan said, “Why is Dallewal’s struggle being linked to the state government when the matter is directly linked to the central government. If anything happens to Dallewal, the central government will be responsible for it. If the control of grain comes in the hands of the businessmen, the farmers as well as the laborers will also be marginalized.” He denied the division among the farmers and said that the target of the farmers is the same. Despite the bad weather and dense fog, a large gathering of farmers took place in the Mahapanchayat.
Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said that the center is benefiting from the struggle being waged by the farmers to meet their demands, while the Punjab government and the Sikhs are suffering from it. He also said that the struggle of farmers on Khanuri-Shambhu border for 10 months will continue for four to five more months. Tikait said that SKM had formed a six-member committee for AK with him, but the talks did not reach an end. He said that the central government wants the farmers to remain entangled among themselves and there is no solution to their issues. During the Mahapanchayat, the farmers rejected the Center’s Agricultural Market Policy draft from the beginning. In a resolution, it was said that all farmers’ organizations should write a letter to the central government against the draft.
Meanwhile, supporting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on fast to death at Khanuri border, the leaders warned the center that if anything happens to them, the government will be responsible for it. He urged the Center to agree to the farmers’ demands by negotiating with Dallewal. Rakesh Tikait, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Dr Darshan Pal, Raminder Patiala, Manjit Singh Dhanner, Sukhdev Jammu, R. Venkaiah, Satyawan, Baldev Singh Nihalgarh, Joginder Singh Nain, Ruldu Singh Mansa and other leaders spoke. Addressing the Mahapanchayat, the leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union Rakesh Tikait said that if the central government still does not accept the rightful demands of the farmers, then the draft is ready for the Delhi movement. He said that there is no need to go to Delhi and besiege him to make demands, but pressure will be created on the Center by blocking the way to KMP and other places. He also rejected the claims of giving MSP by the Haryana government. He also sought help to set up the organization in UP. Women had arrived in the Mahapanchayat with yellow chunnis. Apart from langar and tea-breakfast, literature stalls were also set up by various organizations and villages.