Farmers protesting against agri laws to take highway route to Delhi on Nov 26

Chandigarh, November 19

Farmers who are protesting against three new farm laws will reach Delhi on November 26 through five highways connecting the national capital as part of their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march call.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh and various factions of Bharatiya Kisan Union have joined hands and formed a ‘Samyukta Kisan Morcha’ to press the central government to scrap the three farm laws.

The ‘morcha’ has the support of over 500 farmers’ organisations. Various farmer leaders met here on Thursday in connection with the November 26 ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.

A seven-member committee has also been formed to coordinate the operations of the ‘morcha’. Addressing the media here, Yogendra Yadav, a member of the panel, and Swaraj India president, said on November 26, farmers will peacefully move towards Delhi through five highways—Amritsar-Delhi national highway (Kundli border), Hisar-Delhi highway (Bahadurgarh), Jaipur-Delhi highway (Dharuhera), Bareilly-Delhi highway (Hapur) and Agra-Delhi highway (Ballabhgarh).

“Farmers will demand in one voice that the farm laws should be scrapped. Proposed electricity law should be immediately withdrawn,” Yadav said.

“We hope farmers will be allowed to raise their voice in the national capital. If they are not allowed (to enter Delhi), then we have decided that wherever we’ll be stopped, we will sit there and launch a protest for an indefinite period,” he added.

The protest call for November 26 and 27 was earlier given by AIKSCC, a body of more than 200 farmers’ organisations across the country.

Lashing out at the Centre for “imposing economic blockade” on Punjab, Yadav demanded the government to resume goods trains in the state.

Shiv Kumar Sharma, another farmer leader, dubbed the three farm laws as a “death warrant” for farmers.

Replying to a question, BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said if the Centre invites them for talks, they will go but will not withdraw their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest call.

Farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave a way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates.

They have been demanding that these new laws should be repealed.