More batches of farmers from Punjab and Haryana head to Delhi amidst standoff with govt

Apprehending that the standoff between farmers and the Union government may be a prolonged affair after talks between the two sides turned out to be futile on Tuesday, a large number of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have started for Delhi to join the protests. The farmers’ unions from Punjab and Haryana have started sending new batches of young farmers to join the protestors camping at Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi.

With the new batches of farmers heading towards the national capital, the Delhi police beefed up security arrangements at all the entry and exit points besides deploying additional police and paramilitary forces. The various alternative routes to Delhi from Punjab and Haryana have also been sealed.

New batches of farmers from Ferozepur, Mansa, Moga, Bathinda, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, Samana and other places of Punjab and from various Haryana districts equipped with truck loads of food grains and commodities like mattresses, quilts, milk, lassi, flour, pulses, vegetables, edible oils, LPG cylinders and other eatables started their 'Delhi Chalo' journey late last night, said Malkiat Singh, a young farmer from Shahkot in Jalandhar.

He revealed that the farmers’ unions of the area have now started sending new batches to replace the protesters camping at the Delhi border for the last five days. Amar Singh, a resident of Gharuan village near Morinda, said that many farmers participating in the protest for so many days will return to tend to their wheat crop and look after their families.

“We are fighting to win, not to lose. It will be a ‘decisive battle’ against the Union government. New groups of farmers who are willing to join the agitation are being sent to Delhi border,” claimed Binder Singh Golewala, a BKU leader.

Negating BJP-JJP-led Haryana  government's claims that state farmers were not protesting against the Union government's new farm laws and had not joined the Punjab farmers’ protest, over a dozen Haryana Kisan Unions have flayed the Modi government for using force on their counterparts.

"We, as a farmer community, stand by Punjab farmers and will continue to fight till the farmers get their right," said Rohit Chahal, a young farmer from Karnal, adding that it is an issue of the farmer community and not any individual.

Haryana’s farmers and local residents have extended full support to the agitating farmers and have been supplying essential commodities and other eatable items to the protesters besides accommodating them in their houses and business establishments for night stay.