In a khap panchayat held at Khatkar Kalan toll plaza on Jind-Patiala highway on Friday, khap leaders announced they won’t allow entry of any BJP-JJP leader in their villages to express their resentment against three farm laws.
Despite some progress in recent talks between farmers and the Centre and a crucial meeting scheduled for January 4, Haryana farmers are preparing themselves for a long battle by holding more meetings and staging more protests. Leaders of as many as ten khap panchayats have announced they won’t allow entry of BJP-JJP leaders in Banger area, which falls mainly in Jind district. A BKU leader, Malkit Said, said that the farmers in Kaithal district have planned to gherao residence of local MLA Leela Ram and Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Kamlesh Dhanda on Saturday.
Recently, a group of angry farmers had shown black flags to Dhanda when she had gone to attend functions in villages of her constituency Kalayat (Kaithal).
“The farmers are ready to struggle for six months or even more, if the government doesn’t repeal three anti-farmer laws. Our meetings are on in the villages which is leading to more participation of farmers to the protest sites at Delhi borders,” said Malkit Singh, who is also president of Ambala unit of the BKU.
In a khap panchayat held at Khatkar Kalan toll plaza on Jind-Patiala highway on Friday, khap leaders announced they won’t allow entry of any BJP-JJP leader in their villages to express their resentment against three farm laws.
“We will boycott ‘chaupal’ programme of BJP leaders. If any leader comes to our villages, we will show him black flags,” said a khap leader Azad Singh Palwan.
The BJP had earlier announced to hold “chaupals” in rural areas to make people aware about the benefits of three farm leaders. Farmers have been opposing BJP-JJP leaders whenever they come to villages to hold any public meeting.
Another khap leader, Satbir Pehalwan, said they were providing training to the women to enable them to drive tractors so that they can move to Delhi in tractors to participate in “kisan parade” on January 26. Farmers have plans to enter Delhi on January 26, if the government doesn’t accept their demands till then. The khap leaders have also given a call to boycott products of the companies owned by two corporates and a religious leader.
With the agitation turning into a mass movement, now women and retired employees too have started joining the stir in Haryana. The villagers of Jhanjh Kalan and Jhanjh Khurd have set up a permanent ‘langar’ on Jind-Patiala highway to offer food to those who go to Delhi from Punjab and Haryana. As volunteers, women from neighbouring villages come to this spot to cook chapatis for the protesting farmers, while retired employees help them in serving the food. They cook chapatis for almost 2,000 people daily apart from arranging sweet dishes likes ‘halwa’ and ‘kheer’. Few days back, the villagers here had arranged food for nearly 30,000 farmers who had moved to Delhi from different parts of Punjab.
In the villages situated near Siwani tehsil of Bhiwani district, the activists of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) daily hold meetings in several villages to create awareness among farmers about the “possible ill effects of three farm laws”.
During the meetings, the activists also give call for boycott of the programmes of BJP-JJP leaders in their villages apart from raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Friday, the meetings were held in Kalod, Mohila Sherpura, Matani, Morka, Garwa, Jhumpa Khurd, Jhumpa Kalan, Motipura and Budheshli.
“Farmers are angry at the central government because of the introduction of anti-farm laws as these laws will adversely affect the farmers. The agitation will continue till the three laws are repealed,” said AIKS state secretary Dayanand Poonia, who also addressed the meetings in Siwani area. The farmers have also planned a protest in Siwani on January 4 to raise their voice against three farm laws.
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