Punjab farmers intensified their protest against three new agriculture laws on Thursday by starting the “indefinite” rail roko campaign, covering 24 new places in the State. Among them, nearly a dozen are in Malwa, nearly eight places in Majha, and the rest in Doaba.
Already taking on the BJP-led Central Government head on over the issue, the farmers also staged sit-ins outside the residences of state BJP leaders. In addition, the farmers also launched a direct attack on the corporates by blocking over 20 petrol pumps of the Reliance in the southwestern parts of the state.
Escalating their agitation, the farmers squatted on rail tracks at several places for an indefinite period. A total of 31 farmers’ bodies have joined hands to intensify the agitation, and had already declared to block rail tracks from October 1 for an indefinite period.
Krantikari Kisan Union president Darshan Pal said that the farmers blocked rail tracks at 30 places in the State to press the Centre to revoke new farm laws.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said that they blocked rail tracks at Dhablan (Patiala), Sunam (Sangrur), Budhlada (Mansa) and Gidderbaha (Muktsar). Some other farmers’ unions have also blocked rail tracks in Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar, Phillaur, Moga and other places. However, farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee have been squatting at rail tracks in Amritsar and Ferozepur since September 24.
Krantikari Kisan Union president Darshan Pal said that farmers also staged sit-ins in front of the residences of several BJP leaders, including former Punjab BJP chief Shwait Malik in Amritsar. They staged ‘dharnas’ outside the houses of BJP MLA from Abohar Arun Narang, BJP leaders Sunita Garg at Kotkapura, Bikramjit Singh Cheema at Payal in Ludhiana and Satwant Singh Punia at Sangrur, said Pal.
Kokrikalan said that the farmers also demonstrated near toll plazas in Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, and Gurdaspur, besides holding ‘dharnas’ outside fuel pumps and shopping malls belonging to some corporate houses.
Farmers have already given a call to boycott some corporate houses and their products in the state. According to them, the Centre wanted to “benefit” a few corporate houses with these “black laws”. Kokrikalan said that besides farmers, women and youth also took part in the protests. Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher slammed political parties for holding their own protests, saying that they were doing so keeping in mind the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls.
Farmers said they would continue their agitation till their demand for revocation of farm laws was not accepted. They have expressed apprehension that the Centre’s farm reforms would pave a way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates.