CAPITAL WALLED AS FARMERS GROW IN NUMBERS
New Delhi/Gurugram: Soon after the Republic Day anarchy in the Capital, many khaps in South Haryana, who had backed the farmers' agitation for the longest times, had started getting jittery and had issued ultimatums to small farmers' protests across the state to clear out. Then Rakesh Tikait spoke with tears in
his eyes.
On Monday morning thousands of farmers atop hundreds of tractor-trollies arrived at the Singhu border - propelled by some of the biggest khap panchayats of Haryana.
Two major khaps namely Saroha and Dalal along with their pradhans had reached Singhu. Speaking to Millennium Post, Pradhan from Dalal khap Mool Singh Dalal said that they have been sitting at Tikri Border for the last two months.
"We have come here to show solidarity with Singhu. We have always been supportive because we ourselves are farmers. We thought of coming here because our brothers from Punjab were attacked by BJP goons a few days back and we can't let that happen."
He added that he is going to sit at Tikri itself till the three farm laws are repealed. Meanwhile, a farmer who had come with one of the groups said that they are ready to die if needed. "We are peacefully protesting and will continue to do so. This is a serious matter and this government has to realise that we are suffering," he added.
On asking about the January 26 and whether khap had taken back their support the Pradhan Dalal said that they were always supporting the farmers and had not taken back their support.
About 600 tractors from both the khaps had parked themselves at Singhu with hundreds of farmers raising slogans.
Most of the village heads in areas like Palwal, Faridabad, Gurugram and Jhajjar have said that the government is deliberately not acting against the real perpetrators of the Republic Day violence. Instead, they are trying to malign the entire farmers' protest so that the public opinion goes against them and their genuine causes.
"I urge the Central government and its public agencies to quickly identify the perpetrators of violence and penalise them at the earliest. Why are you trying to malign that farmer that has faced every hardship in the last two months and has even died for his rights?" asked Mahendra Singh Thakran of Jharsa village in Gurugram that has one of the largest Khap panchayats in South Haryana.
A farmer from Saroha khap also said that they have left their villages to support the farmers. Balbeer, who hails from Sonepat, said that they left their villages on Sunday night to reach Singhu.
Hundreds of women also came to Singhu along with the khap to extend their solidarity. "We are farmers and this government has made our lives miserable. We will sit in protest till the time these farm laws are not taken back," an 80-year-old said.
Interestingly, a large number of khaps coming in support of farmers now are from the Jat community and have been moved by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait's words.
