Skip to main content

A Khalistani plot to tarnish Republic Day rally of 20 lakh farmers on 8 lakh tractors?

By Harsh Thakor*

A historic peaceful march in the Capital of over 20 lakh peasants riding on eight lakh tractors is being foisted as a conspiracy against the nation. The sinister act of hoisting the Sikh flag at the Red Fort was undertaken by a person suspected to be a BJP agent, Deep Sidhu. He allegedly infiltrated the ranks, masquerading as a farmer activist.
Sections of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, particularly the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)-Krantikari appeared to have played into the hands of the rulers by raising Khalistani politics and robbing the agitation of its secular democratic prestige.
While the marchers stuck to the plan and did not divert from the route, certain disruptionist elements from the Kisan Sangharsh Committee with Khalistani overtones violated the discipline and started attacking police barricades. Tragically, one farmer succumbed to police attacks.
BKU (Ugrahan) secretary Sukhdev Singh Khokri told me that the conduct at Red Fort was a complete aberration of the agenda planned with almost every participant adhering to the conditions agreed upon. The provocation virtually gave a licence to the rulers to launch repression, paving the way for justifying terror on farmers, he added.
Naujwan Bhrat Sabha leader Rupinder Singh Chaunda agreed with him. Sections of social media played a sinister game by portraying the march as an act of anarchy or plot against the state, going to the extent of even denying the event as a genuine farmers’ rally.
BKU (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that the protest march was successfully conducted in a disciplined manner, adding, protest marching on the streets of Delhi is a fundamental democratic right of the people and the Modi government was looking for an excuse to crush this right.
According to him, a struggle is being fought for farmers’ demands, which is being supported by people of all religions and castes of society. The movement cannot be allowed to be used for the purposes of creating a religion-based state. The flag hoisting belonging to a particular religion provided the government an opportunity to campaign against the movement, he added.
Majority of participants in the tractor rally was from Punjab. They came from the BKU (Ugrahan) ranks, followed by that of the Kirti Kisan Union. Also notable was the big landless labour Dalit contingent participating organised by the Zameen Prapt Sangarsh Committee and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union.
Countless preparatory rallies and meetings were stage in Delhi and in Punjab. A section of farmers entered into confrontation at the barricades and police threw tear gas. However, in general it went peacefully. In spite of the several permutations and combinations the basic unity was preserved.
Preparatory programmes were launched all over Punjab sowing the seeds for the success of the event. Leaders like Rajinder Singh of the Kirti Kisan Union, Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Shingara Singh Mann of BKU (Ugrahan) played a major role in this.
Farmers in across Punjab protested at toll plazas, in front of the houses of BJP leaders, in front of the business places of Ambani. and Adani and in the parks along railway stations. On January 19, a protest against World Trade Organisation (WTO) was organised, where effigies of Narendra Modi and WTO were burned.
On January 20 at Pakora Chowk on Tikri border of Delhi a programme 'Godi media Juth rakha' was staged exposing lies on the social media. Addressing the gathering BKU (EU) leaders Shingara Singh Mann and Jaswinder Singh Longowal said that the Modi government has been testing the patience of farmers, who have been struggling in bone-chilling cold nights for months to get the agriculture laws repealed.
On January 21 a major solidarity programme of mobilising 250 tractors was staged in Nihalsinghwala district, A rally started from Saidoka with slogans condemning the Modi government. Buta Singh Bhagike, Tiran Saidoke, Jagmohan Singh Saidoke, Hardeep Singh Mada, Kartar Pamma and Shingara Singh Takhtupura addressed a gathering. 
Again, on January 21 in Sangat block a major rally was staged from Naruana to Dumwali Another rally was staged in Shakhot area in Barnala, involving 400 tractors. Balwant Mansial and Gurcharan Singh Chahal addressed the gathering.
On January 22, a large number of tractors staged protests along the Delhi borders and marched there in large convoys. Estimates Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), the convoys of more than 30,000 tractors were on the move. They had reached Delhi on invitation of 32 farmer organizations.
In Nawanshahr, on January 22, a group of 300 tractors left from the district Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar to join the tractor parade in Delhi under the leadership of Kirti Kisan Union leader Master Bhupinder Singh Waraich and district secretary Tarsem Singh Bains. Convoys were also sent to Delhi by union leaders Makhan Singh Bhanmajara, Buta Singh Mahmudpur, Avtar Kat, Jasbir Deep, Raghbir Singh Asmanpur and Hari Ram Rasoolpuri.
Meanwhile, a three-day programme was held in Mumbai at Azad Maidan from January 23 to 26 involving many spectrums of the opposition, particularly Left peasant organizations. There was significant mobilization from Nasik and Dahanu district. It was supported by Shiv Sena and Congress. Around 12,000 farmers participated in a rally. It included a small section of industrial workers, too.
---
*Independent journalist

Comments

TRENDING

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan   The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services. 

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative   The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta*  India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative   Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra*  The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C.  In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative   The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Fragmented opposition and identity politics shaping Tamil Nadu’s 2026 election battle

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  Tamil Nadu is set to go to the polls in April 2026, and the political battle lines are beginning to take shape. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on January 23, 2026, marked the formal launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Addressing multiple public meetings, the Prime Minister accused the DMK government of corruption, criminality, and dynastic politics, and called for Tamil Nadu to be “freed from DMK’s chains.” PM Modi alleged that the DMK had turned Tamil Nadu into a drug-ridden state and betrayed public trust by governing through what he described as “Corruption, Mafia and Crime,” derisively terming it “CMC rule.” He claimed that despite making numerous promises, the DMK had failed to deliver meaningful development. He also targeted what he described as the party’s dynastic character, arguing that the government functioned primarily for the benefit of a single family a...