The protesting farmers began a tractor march on Sunday from Shahjahanpur on the Rajasthan-Haryana border leading to the closure of the Delhi-Jaipur highway.
In the morning, farmers began gathering in Rajasthan’s Shahjahanpur district. The protest entered the 18th straight day today.
Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav and activist Medha Patkar were also seen with the protesting farmers.
Yesterday, the protesting farmers had said that they will expand and intensify their protest to a ‘pan-India’ scale as the Centre has refused to heed to their demands to repeal the three contentious farm laws–The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance, and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 enacted in September.
They also appealed all sections of society, including girls and women, to join them. As of Saturday, the farmers are protesting at different borders of the National Capital.
Announcing that all the leaders of 32 unions would sit on a day-long hunger strike at the Singhu border protest site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 14, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti President Kawalpreet Singh Pannu said.
“We request our sisters and mothers to become part of the protest. We are arranging for the seating, sleeping and hygiene facilities for women protesters. We appeal the girls and women across India to join the protest,” he said adding, “We want to keep this movement as peaceful as it can.”
Meanwhile, Dushyant Chautala, the Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and a BJP ally, on Friday said he would resign from his post if he is unable to secure the minimum support price (MSP) guarantee for farmers. “Our party’s national president already made it clear that MSP must be ensured to farmers. The written proposals given by the Central government to the protesting farmers include a provision for MSPs. I will work to secure MSP for farmers as long as I am in power,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.