Sandeep Singh: Amidst Celebrations Questions Of What’s Next For The Farmers’ Protest
Sandeep Singh: Amidst Celebrations Questions Of What’s Next For The Farmers’ Protest
On November 29, Punjab’s farm unions held a meeting where heated arguments took place. Some of the farm leaders criticized others for wanting to go back home.
Sandeep Singh
November 30, 2021 | 2 min. read | Original Reporting
It was early morning here in Delhi when a car of Punjabis traveling from the international airport stopped at Singhu. A Sikh man, who had come from England, jumped out of the car and joined the protestors celebrating the repeal of the three farm laws by dancing to bhangra.
Another car stops as well, this time it is Haryanvis from Sonipat that were on their way to a marriage in Delhi. They too join the celebration.
It is a scene seen over and over again at Singhu over the last day, as many people who passed through the protest sites honk their horns and dance in their cars in solidarity with farmers.
When the Indian Parliament repealed the laws, farmers lifted their arms in euphoria here. Sweets began flowing freely.
Harjinder Singh, 35, was one of those celebrating.
“It has been a year since we have been protesting at Singhu. We are extremely happy. It will take us some time for us to go back and we won’t go back until farm unions make a final announcement.”
He shared his dissatisfaction with the national media, animosity still lingering from the ways in which many outlets had attempted to malign the movement.
“The Modi government made every effort to defame the protest and godi media played a role in it too. But now we have registered a victory despite all odds,” Harjinder Singh adds.
A pick-up truck loaded with flowers and followed by tractors played loud music as it made its way through Singhu. Several people were showering flowers on farmers. For hours, farmers danced by the SKM stage on their tractors, while the women were seen doing giddha and singing Punjabi folk music.
One song that was heard on loop everywhere was Babbu Mann’s Kabza.
Kirpal Kaur, 75, from Sangrur’s Chajli village was marching in celebration when she referenced the Sikhi that drove her.
“We are daughters of Mata Gujri and we forced Modi to bend. If he does anything wrong in the future, we are ready to resist and fight him.”
Gurpreet Kaur, from UP’s Saharanpur’s, was marching with Kirpal Kaur.
“We have faced many things after the January 26 incidents, from attacks to bad weather, but we never feared anything and anyone. We stayed put at the protest site. We have defeated Narendra Modi.”
Kewal Singh, a 45-year-old polio patient, was standing with the help of a stick and watching the celebrations.
“We came here against three farm laws but still some of our demands remain unfulfilled. We won’t go back to Punjab till they fulfill all of our demands.”
Nearby was a Haryanvi farmer, with a hookah in hand. He was surrounded by Punjabi farmers and raised Punjab-Haryana Ekta Zindabad slogans.
“If the Sikh and Jaat regiment can protect the entire country, then farmers can do anything in this country.”
Punjab’s 32 farm unions and Samyukta Kisan Morcha have held several meetings since Modi made his repeal announcement. The biggest question is when will the farmers go back.
On November 29, Punjab’s farm unions held a meeting where heated arguments took place. Some of the farm leaders criticized others for wanting to go back home.
Amongst the remaining demands, farm union leaders are still fighting for a committee on MSP. They are also demanding that FIRs against farmers in both Haryana and the Red Fort incidents should be canceled, and that tractors and trollies seized by Delhi Police on January 26 should be handed over to the farmers, before any consideration of going back home are considered.
Sandeep Singh hails from Machhiwara, Punjab. As an independent journalist, he has worked with many prominent Indian news organizations. Sandeep has been following the farmer’s protest in Punjab since its onset and traveled with them to Delhi. He spends most of his time at the Singhu border protest site. You can follow Sandeep on Twitter @Punyaab
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