Tractor march on KMP e-way on Thursday

Farmers from various protest sites in Delhi-NCR will be taking out a tractor march on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway on Thursday on a call given by the

Farmers from various protest sites in Delhi-NCR will be taking out a tractor march on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway on Thursday on a call given by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha — the umbrella body of farmers’ unions protesting at Delhi’s borders.

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The march, previously scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed by a day due to poor weather. Farmer leaders said that the rally was a rehearsal for the Republic Day parade that they plan to take out on January 26 to protest against the three agriculture laws.

Farmers from across the country have been protesting against the three new farm laws that were passed by the Centre in September last year. They fear that the new laws will leave them at the mercy of corporations and end the minimum support price (MSP) for important crops.

Sanjay Madhav, member of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and the state convener of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee in Rajasthan, said that farmers from several districts will march with their tractors and reach the Shahjahanpur protest site on Thursday. “A batch of farmers from Maharashtra joined our agitation today. Other farmers will be marching with their tractors tomorrow. Tractors from other protest sites at the Delhi border will start marching in the morning and we will have a huge cavalcade of farmers on the KMP stretch,” said Madhav.

Ramzan Chaudhary, another member of Jai Kisan Andolan from Nuh, said that tractors from various protest sites will follow different routes for the march on Thursday. “Farmers protesting at Tikri border will march till Singhu border and vice versa. Tractors from Nuh and Ghazipur will march till Palwal and return from there. Different units of tractors will cover a different stretch,” said Chaudhary.

Rampal Jat, Kisan Mahapanchayat president, who is protesting at the Haryana-Rajasthan border, said that around 100 tractors from Palwal would be joining the tractor march on Thursday. “Tractors from different regions will join the march tomorrow. Due to rain, our tents at the border have been uprooted or flooded, but we will participate in the rally as much as possible. Around 100 tractors of ours will be joining the march from Palwal,” he said.

Inspector Rajesh Kumar, station house officer, KMP Expressway, said that the police are on alert and would take steps to handle the traffic depending on the situation on Thursday. “ We are on alert. If the situation demands, we will make the necessary diversions,” said Kumar.