NEW DELHI: Arrival of a younger lot of farmers has livened up proceedings at the protest site at Ghazipur border. Agitation against the contentious farm laws is going on, with a bit of music to cheer up the protesters. Many of those arriving from different districts of Uttar Pradesh have music systems attached to their tractors.
Punjabi singers like Kanwar Grewal are dishing out live performances to keep the mood of the gathering upbeat.
Amid the singing and dancing, focus of the protesters is firmly on their demands.
“We are here to support Rakesh Tikait till the end. PM Narendra Modi has made him cry. Now, Narendra Modi will cry. Successive governments have done enough injustice to us and the BJP government does not even care to listen to our leaders. Our demand is not unjustified,” said 21-year-old Meerut resident Luv Barnala, taking a break from setting up his tent. He joined the protesters on Sunday morning with his neighbours.
Following the Mahapanchayat decision in Muzaffarnagar that more farmers will join the protest, the number of youngsters has gone up noticeably. Simultaneously, Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Tikait’s popularity has soared. Farmers are jostling to greet him, offer him a symbolic glass of water or food. Some are also falling over each other to click selfies with him.
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“I have visited all three protest sites. The BJP government should not implement the three farm laws and consider farmers friends and family, rather than mistreating us. I am a farmer and my family is facing a huge financial crisis. It has got worse in the last few years. This government is only for corporate entities,” said SS Hansliya from Rajasthan. He has also joined the protesters.
Support for the farmers from common people also seems to be increasing. The 13-year-old Harpreet Kaur and her elder sister Taranjeet have drawn pictures of farming with titles like Kisan Ekta and No Farmer No Food.
“I am here to show my support. We talk about the agitation at home and this is what came to my mind. My sister and I thought we should draw something. This is my first visit to a protest site,” said Harpreet. She has come with her father Surendra Singh, a farmer who also works in a Gurudwara in Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar.
Kejriwal reiterates support for protest
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday reiterated his support to the farmers protesting the Centre’s new agri laws and said he will offer any help possible to them. The Delhi government has been vocal about its support to the farmers’ protest going on for the last two months. The CMand his colleagues have also remained critical of the new farm laws.
R-Day clash: FSL team inspects ITO
A team of Forensic Science Laboratory reached Delhi’s ITO area on Sunday, days after the farmers’ tractor parade turned violent, leaving 394 security personnel injured and one agitator dead, officials said. The team is collecting forensic evidences from the ITO and nearby areas, they said. A protestor died near ITO during the violence on Republic Day.