Among the hundreds of farmers who b꧃egan their demonstration at the Jantar Mantar over a slew of issues, 64-year-old Sriaj Kodyuriv from Kerala garnered the moജst attention with his “Adivasi” attire
Kodyuriv reached Delhi on Monday after covering a three-dꦜay trai🍷n journey from Kerala. For several hours, he stood at Jantar Mantar holding placards that read ‘Implement MSP, Save farmer’. "Farmers are closest to nature. If they abandon their farm equipment, we won't be getting any food. So farmers should be saved. I am here for this," Kodyuriv said.
Asked why he chose the “Adivasi” attire, he said: "This is 🌸to send a message that the farmers and tribal people deserve their rights." Jantar Mantar buzzed with voices of dissent on Monday as farmers fr♌om all over the country gathered here demanding a law ensuring minimum support price for crops, farm loan waiver, and sacking of Union minister Ajay Mishra.
Ajay Mishra is the father 💖of Ashish Mishra, an accused in a case related to mowing down four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh during a farmer protest last O💟ctober. Farmers, hundreds in number, launched their protest amid heavy security arrangements in a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) at Jantar Mantar.
They waved flags, wore caps wi🍬th the name of their farm organisations inscribed on them, and raised slogans for farmer unity and against the Centre accusing it of not coming good on its promises.
Magha Nibori, a farmer from Punjab with one acre of farmland which he cultiv🅠ates with seasonal crops, said he came here fully prepared to stay put, if required. Many 🌌travelled thousands of kilometres to take part in the maha panchayat.
“I am here from Cochin. Arou꧅nd 250 people have come from Kerala a💮nd nearby states to urge PM Modi to agree to our demands regarding MSP law, and other issues. We want India to withdraw from the WTO. Ajay Mishra should resign,” said Paulsen, a 50-year-old farmer from Cochin, Kerala.
Many farmers registered their protest in their own unique ways. One of them came wearing a garland of garlic, while 🐻another, a woman, wore a saree with tricolours.
"The government made a promise but now they are not doing anything. There is no concrete action taken by the government. If we can raise a person to power. 𒁏We can also bring him down. The government should understand this," Kavita, clad in tricol💞our print saree, said.
As farmers associated with different unions reached Delhi, police obstructed their way to the protest site erecting deep layers of barricades across en🦹try points of the city, and checked every vehicle entering the national capital, cau🥃sing huge traffic jams.
Besides the borders – Ghazipur, Singhu and Tikri —, key stretches on the Delhi-Meerut Exp🔴ressway, the Palam flyover, Aurobindo Marg, Ring Road (near Indraprastha Park), the Ghaziabad-Wazirabad road, and the Munirka road, and several other stretches, witnessed traffic snarls.
Other than north India, farmers from states such as Karnataka, M🎀aharashtra, Odisha and Kerala arrived in Delhi to take part in the "mahapanchayat.&ꦅquot;
(With PTI Inputs)
