Farmers agitating against the three farm laws are determined to take out a ‘parallel parade’ on Republic day, with 2 lakh tractors expected to take part in it.Mobilization has begun already. Lists of tractors, names of the owners and those who are willing to participate in the ‘tractor parade’ on January 26 are being prepared across Punjab and Haryana.
Meanwhile, farmers camping at Singhu border feel let down by PM Narendra Modi who promised to double their income by 2022, and are in no mood to retreat. They say they are ready to face “any action” by the government.There is a growing feeling among them that the Modi government may use brutal force to suppress the movement in the coming days.
“We are also prepared…We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the cause. Nearly two lakh tractors will take part in the tractor parade, and we are determined to enter Delhi on January 26,” said a young journalist-cum-farmer activist from Haryana.
The journalist-cum-activist, who is working as a volunteer, also said the youths of Punjab and Haryana may take a “different path” if the government refuses to listen to them. Pointing at a graffiti on the wall of a half-constructed flyover, he said some fractions have given a call for a ‘total revolution’. Painted in red, the graffiti reads, “One solution, revolution, and be aware of the leaders who are compromised.”
“See what happened with Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar. BJP leaders will have to bear the brunt,” he added, referring to the farmers protest at a Karnal village on Sunday ahead of a rally to be addressed by Khattar, which had to be cancelled after protesting farmers ransacked the site.
However, some farmers’ leaders feel the agitating farmers should not commit any “mistake” which is used as an opportunity by the Modi government to stamp out the movement. “They want this (violence) to happen. If any violence takes place, the ‘Godi media’ will go ahead to blame it on us and no farmer will dare to protest for next 30-40 years. No matter who throws the first stone, peaceful protesters will be defamed,” a leader said.
Another leader who had come to participate in a meeting at Singhu ahead of the hearing in the SC on Monday said that the government is trying its best to divide the unions.“So far, all unions, despite minor differences over tactics and demands, have shown a united face under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, but the government is constantly looking out for fault lines,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bahadurgarh Kisan Coordination Committee (BKCC) – an umbrella organization of small farmers unions and organizations from Delhi-Haryana border, has given a call for a ‘non-cooperation movement’. Asking BJP leaders and MLAs to resign from their posts and the party, it said those who do not support the demands put forth by the farmers will face a boycott.
The BKCC also alleged that the BJP-led government in Haryana was pushing farmers “to take extreme steps” so that they can suppress the movement by force.The BKCC also said that thousands of tractors from Sirsa and Bhiwani will start moving towards Delhi between January 12 and January 15 for the Republic Day ‘parade’.
