Punjab farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said no ‘jatha’ (group) of farmers will resume foot march to Delhi on Tuesday, and accused the Centre of being confused on how the protesters should proceed to the national capital.
Pandher said they will decide their next course of action in a meeting of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Tuesday.
“No ‘jatha’ will be going tomorrow,” Pandher said.
Agitating farmers suspended their foot march to Delhi from the Shambhu border on Sunday after some of them sustained injuries in teargas shelling by Haryana security personnel who thwarted yet another attempt by the protesters to cross the Punjab-Haryana border.
Addressing the media at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points separately on Monday, Pandher claimed that the BJP-led Centre was “confused” after farmers decided to march on foot to the national capital.
“Now Central minister Manohal Lal Khattar is saying farmers should come by other vehicles. When Khattar was the chief minister of Haryana, he used to say that farmers should come on foot.
“Earlier, the entire BJP was objecting to farmers going by tractor trolleys to Delhi. The government is confused on what to say and what not to say. This is lowering the credibility of the government among people,” Pandher said at Shambhu.
In Karnal on Monday, Union minister Khattar, when asked about the farmers’ protest, said, “Nobody is stopping them from going to Delhi but there is a way. There is no gain in doing such a kind of protest.”
When asked farmers have said that they were going on foot, he took a swipe at them, saying there are so many vehicles and they can go using those.
At Khanauri, Pandher slammed Khattar for his statement.
“Khattar is saying there is no bar on farmers going to Delhi and they can come by using other vehicles. When he was the chief minister he used to say that farmers should give up tractor trolley and come on foot,” he said.
“Another Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said they will welcome the farmers coming on foot to Delhi. The Haryana Agriculture minister too was saying they will welcome farmers coming on foot, while Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini is asking farmers that they should seek permission from the Delhi Police before going there,” said Pandher.
So be it the central ministers or Haryana ministers, they are confused as to what statement they have to give, he said.
Farmer leaders protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders have claimed that earlier, the Central ministers and BJP leaders had raised an objection to farmers heading to the national capital along with their tractors and trolleys and asked what was the objection now, when they wanted to march on foot.
Referring to farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s fast unto death which entered 14th day on Monday, Pandher said he has lost 11 kg weight but the government is not waking up from its slumber.
“The government is trying to divert the real issue and trying to focus the debate on which vehicles farmers use to come to Delhi and what method they should adopt to go there,” he said.
“I have met Dallewal ji today…he will continue his fast till farmers’ demands are met,” said Pandher.
Pandher cautioned the Punjab Police not try to repeat the November 26 incident when they forcibly removed Dallewal from the Khanauri border point just hours before he was going to start his fast unto death.
He said Punjab Police officials met Dallewal at the Khanauri border point and that they said they were worried about his health.
“The Punjab government should rather press the Centre if they are really worried about farmers,” said Pandher.
Another farmer leader Sukhjit Singh said no meal will be cooked on Tuesday by farmers at Khanauri in solidarity with Dallewal.
A jatha of 101 farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had made two attempts to go to Delhi on foot on December 6 and 8 but they were not allowed to move ahead by the Haryana security personnel.
Farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
The farmers had earlier attempted to march towards Delhi on February 13 and February 21 but were stopped by security forces deployed at the border points.
Besides a legal guarantee to MSP for crops, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases, and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the previous agitation in 2020-21 are also part of their demands.
