Farmers at a protest in Tikri on Tuesday against the central farm laws. Photo: Sumit Tharan

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, April 20

A day after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha announced ‘Phir Delhi Chalo’ campaign to bolster numbers at the protest sites, farmers and labourers from Punjab have started returning to Tikri to join the agitation against the central farm laws.

The protesters put up an impressive show of strength in Tikri today to mark the birth anniversary of farmer leader Dhanna Bhagat. The crowds had been steadily thinning at the protest sites in Tikri, Singhu and Ghaziabad over the past few weeks.

While the SKM, a joint forum of farm unions, said the farmers had returned home temporarily for wheat harvesting, some alleged the protesters were unhappy with the top union leadership for campaigning in poll-bound states at the cost of the farm stir.

“Around 3,000 farmers from Punjab have returned to Tikri after completing their rabi harvest. Many more are likely to reach here in the coming days,” claimed Purushottam Singh Gill, a BKU (Lakhowal) leader. He said the count of local farmers too was growing.

Pargat Singh, a BKU (Rajewal) leader, said farmers and labourers were arriving by trains, buses and in their personal vehicles as tractors were still required for agricultural tasks. “The numbers will keep rising now as farmers will be free for over a month after selling their produce,” he claimed.

The SKM has appealed to the migrants returning to their native places not to panic and join their protest. “We will make all arrangements for food and shelter. They must join the common struggle against the Centre,” said SKM leader Darshan Pal.