Skip to main content

As 95,000 trolleys line up on Delhi border, pro-farmer groups launch newsletter

Counterview Desk

Supporters of farmers’ protest have begun publishing “Trolley Times”, a newsletter in Punjabi, Hindi and English. Not the official mouthpiece of the Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, or the Farmers’ Coordination Committee, the non-political body which is leading the struggle around Delhi, The “Trolley Times” is being brought out by writers, artists, activists in support of the Morcha.
Introducing the “Trolley Times”, and called the “Voice of Kisan Protest”, those who are behind its publication says that its team has been working round the clock to choose write-ups that “look beyond differences” that may be existing within the Morcha, with the singular aim of bringing about a “unity of farmers, labourers and other sections.”
A note forwarded to Counterview on “Trolley Times” by a journalist-activist, states, the humble four-pager in the three languages is being brought out by Gurdeep Dhaliwal, Navkiran Natt, Jassi Sangha, Ajaypal Natt, Jasdeep Singh, Thukral Tagra, Narinder Bhinder, and Surmeet Maavi, among others.

Text of the note:

Over 95,000 trolleys are lined up in the crack of winter at Delhi borders, protesting over the farm bills. In this newsletter, we are trying to bring out protesters’ stories to them while they are camped out at Delhi borders. Our intent, without malice and an ulterior motive, is to simply represent peoples' voices. In order to do so, we are reaching out to different writers and artists to seek their contributions.
We are aware that partisan publishing representation can create rifts in the movement. Our team works round the clock to choose write ups that look beyond such differences and commit to the progress of current movement that is exemplary because of the unity of farmers, labourers and other sections.
The newsletter is made to clarify the real news in the midst of fake news, printed in Punjabi and Hindi, this four-page humble beginning is written with hope and optimism. On the first page we will have briefs on the direction and the state of the morcha. Rest of the pages will contain writings, pictures and artworks by contributors.
“Trolley Times” is inspired by the historic mobilisation and able leadership of all the farmers and farmworker organizations. The morcha has provided vigour to the farmers and farmworkers of not only the Punjab-Haryana region but all over India.
On the one hand, the organizations have empowered and organized people to create the mass political awakening, on the other hand, the leaders of the organizations have pressurised the ruling and opposition political parties to speak the language of people's welfare.
It has brought hope to well wishers of solidarities and welfarist policies all over the world. The organizations' leadership has worked resolutely to tread the ideological differences between themselves and bring this united movement to a point where its ultimate conclusion is victory.
Long live farmer-labourer unity.
---
Click here for Punjabi-Hindi newsletter, and here for the English newsletter of “Trolley Times”

Comments

TRENDING

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat*  As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra*   It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Women's rights leaders told to negotiate with Muslimness, as India's donor agencies shun the word Muslim

By A Representative Former vice-president Hamid Ansari has sharply criticized donor agencies engaged in nongovernmental development work, saying that they seek to "help out" marginalizes communities with their funds, but shy away from naming Muslims as the target group, something, he insisted, needs to change. Speaking at a book release function in Delhi, he said, since large sections of Muslims are poor, they need political as also social outreach.

Sardar Patel was on Nathuram Godse's hit list: Noted Marathi writer Sadanand More

Sadanand More (right) By  A  Representative In a surprise revelation, well-known Gujarati journalist Hari Desai has claimed that Nathuram Godse did not just kill Mahatma Gandhi, but also intended to kill Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Citing a voluminous book authored by Sadanand More, “Lokmanya to Mahatma”, Volume II, translated from Marathi into English last year, Desai says, nowadays, there is a lot of talk about conspiracy to kill Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, but little is known about how the Sardar was also targeted.

Bihar’s land at ₹1 per acre for Adani sparks outrage, NAPM calls it crony capitalism

By A Representative   The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has strongly condemned the Bihar government’s decision to lease 1,050 acres of land in Pirpainti, Bhagalpur district, to Adani Power for a 2,400 MW coal-based thermal power project.