National

Inside Farmers' Protest

The farmers' protest at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana entered its 12th month on the occasion of Lohri. Sukhwinder Singh Sabhra, the State President of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee says, "The government is waging a war against us; we, on the other hand, are simply asking that if you accepted our demands earlier, why haven’t you kept your promise?” he questions. The participation by farmers at these protests is rotational and planned district-wise. Each district is assigned to stay at the border for at least fifteen days. While Sarwan Singh Pandher’s Kisan Mazdoor Morcha organises the setup at Shambhu, Jagjit Singh Dallewal’s Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) is responsible for the protest at Khanauri. Parminder Jeet Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union, Moga says, "During the Green Revolution, the government gave us seeds and we worked day and night in the fields. Meanwhile , corporates started selling us agricultural machines. Look where they stand today. On the other hand, we, who worked hard and generated surplus produce for exports, acquired debts for generations by buying these machines. Buried under these debts, our fellow farmers are dying by suicide today." Dharam Singh Sidhu, a member of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and senior pradhan of Firozpur district, states that nearly 100 jatthebandis (unions) are a part of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha at Shambhu border and include farmers from both Punjab and Haryana. When asked about their charter of demands, he says that a law which guarantees the Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a must. Even as the farmer suicides hit the morale of farmers at the protest sites, Dalbar Singh, Pradhan of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Pahu Wind, has full confidence that the farmers will continue this protest till victory is theirs.