Farmers’ unions call for protest from Aug 1, tractor march on Aug 15

NEW DELHI — The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Monday announced another round of protest starting August 1 to oppose the Haryana government for “stopping the farmers with tear gas and bullets” on the Punjab-Haryana border.

The farmers’ unions said they have been opposing the Haryana government’s decision to recommend Police Medal for Gallantry for six officers for stopping the farmers on the state’s borders during their ‘Dilli Chalo’ agitation in February this year.

“We will also do a tractor march on August 15, besides burning copies of the three new criminal laws,” they told the media here.

“We will also protest on August 31 as our initial protest will complete 200 days. We will do rallies in September in Haryana’s Jind and Pipli,” they added.

“We have been demanding legalised MSP (minimum support price) guarantee. The government says it will burden the economy but we discussed the matter with experts who said the notion is not true,” the farmers’ unions claimed.

The farmers have been protesting over their demands, including MSP guarantee for crops. They have been camping on the Shambhu border since February 12.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has now directed the Haryana government to remove the barricades on the border, citing inconvenience to commuters. The Haryana government has challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court.