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Patiala: In a show of defiance, more than one lakh tractors are set to take to the roads across Indian Punjab today as farmers escalate their agitation against New Delhi on India’s Republic Day. The tractor march, spanning over 500 locations, aims to amplify farmers’ demands, including a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
According to a statement by Kashmir Media Service, the protest is being led by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) to coincide with India’s Republic Day celebrations. KMM Convener Sarwan Singh Pandher remarked that over five lakh tractors are expected to join similar protests across India.
“The January 26 protest aims at showing solidarity with small shopkeepers, traders, and businessmen who are being marginalised by corporate entities operating from big shopping malls,” Pandher noted. Protesters plan to gather near BJP leaders’ residences, corporate grain storage facilities, toll plazas, and malls, which they claim represent the corporatization of agriculture and the marginalization of small traders.
Pandher further highlighted that the tractor march is dedicated to small shopkeepers and grocery store owners, citing a study revealing the closure of 2 lakh grocery shops in the past year due to the rise of e-commerce giants. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, known for its 2020-21 protests against the now-repealed farm laws, is holding unity talks with various farm bodies.
However, SKM (Non-Political) leader Sukhjit Singh Hardo Jhande urged the group to advance the talks, citing pre-scheduled protests on February 12. The farmers’ movement continues to send a message to the government, vowing to sustain their struggle until their demands are met.
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