Farmers, protesting Centre’s three farm laws since November last year, in Haryana’s Jind will carry out a tractor rally in the city on Independence Day, August 15, said farmer leader Bijendra Sindhu.
"Tractor rally with tableaus would be held in the entire city (Jind) on August 15. Both the national flag and ‘Kisan’ flag will be mounted on tractors,” Sindhu said, news agency ANI quoted. He added that they have decided that they will not allow any minister to hoist tricolour on the occasion.
They will send a route plan proposal for the rally to the district commissioner before the event, Sindhu told reporters.
Rakesh Tikait, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union, has also lent his support to the Jind farmers' decision to carry out a rally on Independence Day, calling it ‘revolutionary.’
"People of Jind (Haryana) are revolutionary. They've taken the right decision of carrying out tractor parade on Aug 15. Don't know what Samyukt Kisan Morcha decides...It will be a moment of pride to see the tractor parade with national flags mounted on them," he told ANI.
Sindhu said that the tricolour, as well as the ‘Kisan’ flags, will be mounted on tractors that will participate in the rally on August 15.
"No BJP leader will be allowed to unfurl the national flag," said the farmers’ leader. However, he added that if any BJP leader comes to Jind, then farmers won’t stop them and will not create hindrances.
"Instead, our core committee will show them black flags while leaving or on arrival. Personally, I feel national festivals like August 15 should not be obstructed," Sindhu said.
The announcement comes after the tractor rally carried out by protesting farmers on January 26 turned violent, as protesters broke barricades to enter New Delhi and clashed with police.
Farmers from different parts of the country have been staying put at different border points of the national capital since last year November and protesting three newly enacted farm laws, namely Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but all of them remained inconclusive.
