Punjab Farmers Now Hold Rail Roko Agitation Against Farm Bills, All They Want Is Govt To Listen
The simmering anger among farmers over the agricultural reform bills passed by the Parliament is showing no signs of slowing down.
Ahead of the nationwide farmers protest on Friday, in Punjab where the agitation has been the strongest, the protests have resorted to a rail roko for three days starting Thursday.
We have decided to hold a ¡®rail roko¡¯ agitation from September 24 to 26 in the state against the farm bills, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher told PTI.
28 trains cancelled
Some 28 trains from and to the state have been cancelled due to the protests by farmers.
Rajesh Aggarwal, divisional railway manager (DRM), Ferozepur division, said that all special trains will remain suspended.
On Wednesday, several farmers and Congress workers held a 'tractor protest' at Mullanpur Dakha in Ludhiana against the passage of the agriculture Bills.
Tractors queued up and slowly moved in a line with party flags while maintaining social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In neighbouring Haryana too, there has been strong opposition to the two bills.
On Wednesday, the Haryana police had used water cannons in Panipat and Ambala on agitators to stop them from proceeding to Delhi.
Police used water cannons
In Panipat, the police used water cannons at a Haryana Youth Congress-led tractor rally while in Ambala, it used them on a Punjab's Lok Insaf Party-led motorcycle rally, trying to enter the state on their way to Delhi.
Owing to their continued sit-in on the Ambala-Ludhiana stretch of the national highway leading to Delhi, the traffic on it was also disrupted, said police.
In Panipat, the police stopped a tractor rally of the Haryana Youth Congress activists near a police barricade on the national highway to Delhi and asked the protesters to disperse.
18 opposition parties on Wednesday urged President Ram Nath Kovind not to sign the contentious bills and alleged that they were passed "unconstitutionally" in "complete disregard" of parliamentary norms.
In a meeting with the president on behalf of these 18 non-NDA parties, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has requested the President to return the bills, and only give his assent after they have been passed after following proper rules and procedures.
The BJP had called the passing of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 as well as the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 as a watershed moment for farmers.
Farmers fear they will no longer get paid at MSP, while commission agents fear they will lose their commission.?
They also allege that the bills will enhance the corporatisation of the agriculture sector, leading to reduction of farmers' bargaining power and crippling them financially.
