For over two months, thousands of farmers have remained at Delhi's borders, seeking the repeal of three contentious laws. Multiple rounds of talks with the Central government having failed to end the deadlock, it remains unclear as to what comes next. Over the last week however, there has been a rapid succession of events that marked a turning point of sorts.
Now, a village in Punjab's Bathinda has decided that they must join the protests in Delhi, even if it a penalty has to be enforced to induce people. According to news agency ANI, the Virk Khurd gram panchayat has decided to send at least one member from each family to the protest sites for a week.
"Those who won't go to protest will be fined Rs 1,500 and those not paying fine will be boycotted," Sarpanch Manjit Kaur was quoted as saying on Friday.
When the farmers' Republic Day tractor rally turned violent, some of the unions had withdrawn their support for the agitation, even the police cracked down on the farm leaders and other people who had indulged in violence and vandalism. At the same time, a face-off began at the Delhi-UP border with the administration ordering the farmers to vacate their protest site.
But the UP government's actions may have been a tad hasty. Even as the administration threatened forcible removal and cut off water and power supply, an emotional video of farm leader Rakesh Tikait went viral. Many contend that this has become a rallying point for farmers. The UP police has so far left the Ghazipur protesters alone, and on Friday evening, thousands gathered for a Kisan Mahapanchayat at UP's Muzaffarnagar. The clip of him breaking down before the media had evoked public sympathy, and as thousands rally behind him, Tikait has become an increasingly heroic figure.
(With inputs from agencies)
