The farmers’ protests in the country seem to be growing every day across the country. On Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh sat on dharna at Khatkar Kalan, an ancestral village in Nawanshahr, the birthplace of Shaheed Bhagat Singh on his birthday anniversary to protest against the farm laws, while a tractor was set on fire at India Gate in Delhi on Monday morning by Punjab Congress Youth workers.
Farmers in Punjab launched “Gherao Corporate Businesses” in the State. The silo run by Adani Agri Logistics Group at Village Dagru in Moga was gheraoed by Barnala MLA Gurmeet Hayer.
Farmers’ protests backed by the Congress and other Opposition parties also spread in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Congress workers also held nationwide protests in State’s Capitals.
Farmers groups observed a Statewide bandh in Karnataka while Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies held protests across Tamil Nadu.
In Delhi, Punjab Youth Congress activists set ablaze a tractor at India Gate on Monday morning. The Delhi Police said five people claiming to be members of the Punjab Youth Congress — Manjot Singh (36), Ramandeep Singh Sindhu (28), Rahul (23), Sahib (28) and Sumit (28), all residents of Punjab — have been arrested.
“Around 15-20 people carried a tractor on a truck to Rajpath, Man Singh Crossing. They unloaded the tractor from the truck and set it on fire,” said a senior police official. “Fire department received information regarding the incident at 7.42 am and two fire tenders were rushed to the spot,” said a senior Delhi Fire Service official.
The Congress in Haryana held a protest outside the party’s HQ in Chandigarh.
The Punjab Government is also consulting lawyers to move the Supreme Court on the issue. The CM was accompanied by his wife and ex-Minister Preneet Kaur, new Congress in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat, PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP, Cabinet Ministers, around 45 MLAs and six MPs. They all sat in the memorial complex right in front of the statue and sat on dharna for over an hour.
“Gherao Corporate Businesses” is the new plan of the protesting farmers in Punjab. From the silo plants for grain storage built by Adanis to Walmart and Metro stores, from Toll Plazas on highways operated by some big corporate houses to the three private power plants in the State - a list of all businesses run by big corporate houses has been drawn and distributed among the ranks and file of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan).
In Talwandi Sabo, farmers staged a protest outside the Reliance Petrol Pump. Apart from this, even messages in which farmers are appealing people to boycott using reliance fuel and JIO sim in protest against these anti-farmer Bills are making rounds on social media. They are claiming that these Reliance, Jio, Adani and Ambani are anti farmers, so people should boycott their products. Farmers in Amritsar and Ferozepur under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee have continued “rail rook” agitation since September 24.
Congress in Haryana held a protest outside the party’s State headquarters in Chandigarh. Carrying placards, some of which read “Anndata ki suno pukar, bandh karo atyachar (listen to farmers, end their oppression)”, the workers demanded that the “black laws”, which are “anti-farmers” be withdrawn. The Congress leaders also submitted a memorandum to Governor. Farmers at a “mandi” also locked up the secretary and other staff of the Market Committee inside the office in Kurukshetra. They relented after a large police contingent reached the spot to control the situation.
Thousands of farmers across BJP-ruled Karnataka backed by a number of other social and political outfits staged protests across the State. Protests were held in several cities, including Bengaluru. Shops and other commercial establishments are sparsely open. The bandh evoked mixed response in the State. Farmers held mock death processions of farmers to protest the farm Bills. They tried to block roads and highways.
Around 300 people, including political leaders KRRS leaders Kodihalli Chandrashekar and Kurburu Shanthkumar, Congress leaders, including leader of opposition Siddaramaiah, KPCC President DK Shivakumar, national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala and other leaders, who were protesting were detained.
The DMK and its allies including Congress demonstrated in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Tirunelveli among other places across Tamil Nadu. The DMK president led the protest held in a village in Kancheepuram.
In Ahmedabad, around 100 Gujarat Congress workers, including State party president Amit Chavda, were detained after they staged a protest against farm Bills.
