Highlights
- Large contingent of farmers from Punjab left for Delhi to participate in Mahapanchayat.
- The Mahapanchayat, to be held at Delhi's Kisan Ghat, has been called by Desh Bachao Morcha.
- Around 550 farmers' unions and social organisations from across the country will take part.
The Shambhu border has been closed once again as the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee announced that they are heading to Delhi to participate in a one-day farmers' 'Mahapanchayat' scheduled for Tuesday. Consequently, the road has been blocked by placing cement slabs.
Mahapanchayat to be held at Delhi's Kisan Ghat
The development comes as a large contingent of farmers from Punjab left for Delhi on Sunday to participate in a Mahapanchayat on July 21 against the proposed India-US trade agreement. The Mahapanchayat, to be held at Delhi's Kisan Ghat, has been called by the Desh Bachao Morcha, with organisers claiming that around 550 farmers' unions and social organisations from across the country will take part.
What are their demands?
Giving details, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab leader Germanjit Singh Bandala alleged that the proposed trade pact would adversely affect Indian farmers, labourers, small traders and the broader public. He also claimed the agreement was aimed at benefiting American companies and farmers while ignoring the interests of India's small and marginal cultivators.
Bandala further added that farmers from Punjab, along with participants from several other states, would attend the July 21 Mahapanchayat and said that if authorities stopped protesters from reaching the venue, they would hold peaceful gatherings at the point where they were halted and continue to raise awareness about their concerns.
Agitation to be intensified if Centre did not scrap India-US trade deal
Saying that the protest is "only the beginning," Bandala warned that the agitation would be intensified if the Centre did not scrap the proposed India-US trade deal and address the farmers' demands. He also added that farmer organisations would continue their movement until their demands were met.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that farmers from several states, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan will reach the national capital to participate in the rally. The rally is being organised under the banner of 'Desh Bachao Morcha'. Allowing cheaper agricultural imports into India, the India-US trade deal agreement, they said, would adversely affect farmers, agricultural labourers, livestock rearers, small traders and the country's agricultural economy.
Farmers urge Centre to abandon proposed trade pact
Pandher claimed that the proposed agreement will not be limited to a few commodities but may encompass agriculture, dairy, industry, digital trade, e-commerce, government procurement, intellectual property rights, and the services sector.
Demanding immediate intervention by the Centre, farmers have urged it to abandon the proposed trade pact and safeguard the interests of farmers and the common people. They are demanding the termination of the India-US Free Trade Agreement with immediate effect and the protection of the interests of the country's farmers and ordinary citizens. Many farmers' bodies in Punjab have been opposing the proposed India-US trade deal. They had even carried motorcycle marches to protest against it.
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