The farmers’ unions have given a call for a four-hour ‘rail roko’ agitation in Punjab starting Sunday (10th March) noon.
The Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) plan to stop trains in 52 places in 22 districts till 4 PM.
The unions also said “women would play a crucial role in the rail roko protests”. As per reports, the five farmers’ unions that are not part of the ongoing protests at Shambhu border and Khanauri border have also supporter the call.
These five unions include BKU (Ugrahan), which is one of the biggest faction of farmers from Punjab; BKU (Dakaunda), BKU (Malwa), BKU (Doaba) and Krantikari Kisan Union.
Farmer union leaders Amarjit Singh, Maliat Singh and Jang Singh, said, “All arrangements have been made to make rail roko a success.” The unions told the people not to use trains from 12 to 4.
Speaking about the offer made by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, they said that it was all eyewash and had rejected them.
On Friday (8th March), Union minister Piyush Goyal had said the government was considering procuring the entire quantity of maize and pulses from farmers at MSP to encourage diversification of crops from unsustainable, water-guzzling, crops like rice.
Earlier, the unions had announced a nation-wide rail roko for four hours on 10th March.
General Secretary, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher said they had announced the ‘rail roko’ agitation almost a week ago, so that commuters could avoid travel on the given date.
Moreover, section 144 has been imposed in Ambala and the police are reportedly reaching the houses of several farmer union leaders there.
In Punjab, the protest will be held at Devidaspura railway station in Amritsar blocking the main Delhi line apart from Raiyya, Jahangir, Pandher and a few other locations in Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Taran Taran, Patti in Taran Taran district while Gurdaspur railway station, Batala railway station, Fatehgarh Churian etc in Gurdaspur; Tanda, Hoshiarpur railway stations in Hoshiarpur while Jalandhar cantonment, Jalandhar City, Phillaur, Phagwara in Jalandhar district; Shambhu railway station in Patiala; Mullanpur, Samrala, Jagraon, Raikot in Ludhiana, Basti Tenka wali, mallanwala, Guru-Har-Sahai in Ferozepur district, Fazilka railway station in Fazilka district while Malaut railway station in Muktsar district, Sangrur, Mansa and Barnala railway stations too and few locations in Bathinda district too, Dagru in Moga, Mohali railway station, Fatehgarh Sahib railway station, Mandi Ahmedgarh railway in Malerkotla and Dinanagar railway station in Pathankot.
In Haryana, the unions will gather at Mohda railway crossing in Ambala, Manakpur in Panchkula and Sarsini in Ambala where members of the BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh will stage protests. Meanwhile, the khaps will also plan rail roko protests in different areas, said sources.
