NEW DELHI: The slogan “Kisan Ekta Zindabad” reverberate through the atmosphere at Ghazipur farmers protest site on this cold January night on Thursday. “This has been a peaceful protest since day one and continues to be so. Those people who climbed into Red Fort on Republic Day were planted by the BJP government to defame our campaign. We are sitting here for around two months now, not just to go back empty-handed” said Kuldeep Singh Boprai farmer from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Amid “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” sloganeering every other protestor at the site is doing a Facebook live with friends and family. Many talk about family members and friends who have already started moving to Ghazipur protest site to support the agitation.
Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union, is resting at the back of the stage but comes to the front in intervals to addresses the protestors and thanks them for joining.
“This government is full of lies and deceit, my payment for sugarcane is pending for a year and my debt is mounting. Farming anyways is not profitable anymore for small farmers and now they want to take away everything from us” said Gurudyal Singh from Lakhimpur who has been sitting at the stage holding the national flag along with flag of Kisan Ekta Morcha .
Distrust against the government is the reoccurring sentiment across the protest site, langar service of tea and snacks continues. Since the news broke out about police forcefully removing the protestors crowd around the main stage has increased. Every other protestors mildly probes the media persons or any new face amongst the crowd.
“More people are coming some night reach tonight others in the morning so just maintain calm and continue the protest peacefully” said Tikait addressing the protestors.
Police officers who have visited the site said that they have met Tikait to ask about his health only. Heavy police presence at the protest site remains.