After ‘Chalo Delhi’, farmers prepare for ‘rail roko’ protest on March 10; trains to face disruptions
Farmers have called for a ‘rail roko’ protest in Punjab and Haryana on Sunday, March 10, to assert their demands on MSP.
Farmers are gearing up to participate in the proposed ‘rail roko’ protest called for Sunday, March 10 in order to assert their demands to the Centre. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have called for a 'rail roko' protest on Sunday in support of their various demands. This protest will be observed for four hours, from 12 pm to 4 pm tomorrow.
The ‘rail roko’ agitation will see hundreds of farmers protest in 60 locations across Haryana and Punjab and is expected to cause some disruptions to the trains.
Read more: Police stop farmers in Hisar from marching towards Delhi
In order to avoid major disturbances, authorities have imposed Section 144 in Haryana's Ambala district, and cops have been positioned in tense areas to prevent the matters from escalating.
This comes after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha rejected the proposal put forth by the Centre to undertake guaranteed procurement of pulses (tur, urad and masoor), maize and cotton at a Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a day before the protest, urged the central government “not to run from their responsibility” of giving legal guarantee for MSP on all crops. Dallewal asserted that farmers must be given MSP on all crops for their survival under the "C2 plus 50 per cent" formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
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The farmer leader also rejected the claims that MSP on all crops would require a huge outlay. Dallewal said the government is importing palm oil worth ₹1.38 lakh crore but it cannot spend on farmers by giving them MSP on all crops.
Farmers' plan for ‘rail roko’ protests
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that during the rail roko protests, hundreds of farmers will sit on railway tracks at several places in Punjab, including Ferozepur, Amritsar, Rupnagar, Gurdaspur districts.
Farmer organisations that are a part of SKM - Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), Bharti Kisan Union (Dakaunda-Dhaner) and the Krantikari Kisan Union - will also be participating in the protest tomorrow.
Read more: Shambhu, Khanauri farmers’ stir: Children, women used as shield in riot-like situation, says HC
It is expected that inter-city and state train schedules will be disrupted because of the rail roko protest tomorrow. Last month, the train scheduling took a similar hit with multiple trains running on the Delhi-Amritsar route being delayed because of farmers holding at a sit-in at the tracks.
(With inputs from PTI)
