Punjab-based farmer-unions, which have been agitating against the central farm-laws, on Wednesday said that they will hold street protests against the coronavirus lockdown on May 8 in the state and urged people to defy the restrictions.
Farmer-leader Balbir Singh Rajewal while addressing a press conference at the Singhu border protest site, alleged that the government has imposed a lockdown to hide its failure to handle the coronavirus situation and wants to weaken the ongoing farmers’ movement. Rajewal was speaking on behalf of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions that is spearheading the agitation against the Centre’s three contentious farm-laws.
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Singh said, “The 32 farmer unions of Punjab have decided to protest against the lockdown on May 8 (in Punjab) where our field workers will come out on streets and ask people to open their shops and not follow the lockdown.”
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When the results of the West Bengal election was coming out through the vote counting showing that TMC had defeated BJP, the farmers at the Singhu border protest site celebrated by distributing sweets. This is because farmer-leaders had campaigned in the poll-bound states urging people to vote for any party other than BJP that is pushing in favour of the farm-laws which can allegedly damage & decimate the livelihood of the farmers.
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Like several other states reeling from the Covid19 surge, Punjab has imposed extensive curbs, in addition to measures like a weekend lockdown and night curfew till May 15.
“The three black farm laws were also made during the lockdown last year. Lockdown is no solution. It only results in losses to the economy and unemployment. This government is just hiding its failures under the garb of lockdown like how they have failed in providing oxygen, beds and other medical facilities to patients,” Rajewal claimed.
The 78-year-old leader said that he would also push for a “nationwide protest against lockdown” in the next meeting with the SKM leaders.
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Meanwhile, over a thousand farmers on Wednesday headed towards the Delhi borders from Beas, a town near Amritsar, to join those protesting against the farm laws.
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Kisan Sangharsh Committee State secretary Gurbachan Singh Chabba said that he along with other farmer leaders including Sawan Singh Pandher has set off for the national capital with the group, which includes women and children.
He said that farmers had assembled at Beas from different villages of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur districts in Punjab.
Eleven rounds of talks between farmers and GOI have failed with regards to the protests. In January, the government had offered to suspend the farm laws for 12-18 months, which was rejected by the farmer unions.
Supreme Court of India stayed the implementation of the farm-laws till further orders and set up committee to resolve the impasse.
The SKM leader on Wednesday also urged people to join the farmers’ protest to strengthen the movement.
