4 min readLudhianaDec 1, 2024 05:11 PM IST
First published on: Dec 1, 2024 at 05:11 PM IST
Staying firm in their ‘Dilli Chalo’ call, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM, non-political) have announced their plans to march on foot towards Delhi starting December 6. The 235-km march will begin from the Shambhu border in the Rajpura constituency of the Patiala district in Punjab. According to KMM and SKM (non-political) leaders, groups led by senior leaders will walk daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
Sarwan Singh Pandher, the coordinator of KMM, stated after a meeting of both forums at Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh, “Recently, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and Haryana’s Agriculture Minister have indicated that farmers can walk to Delhi. Both the Haryana and the Union governments should uphold their commitments.”
“Our contingents will begin their journey from Shambhu on December 6 at around noon. On the following days, we will continue our ‘paidal yatra’ from 9 am to 5 pm. The first group departing from the Shambhu Border will be led by farmer leaders Satnam Singh Pannu, Swinder Singh Chhatala, Surjit Singh Phool, and Baljinder Singh Chandiwala. We are confident that the residents of Haryana will make adequate arrangements for our food and accommodation along the way.”
KMM and SKM (non-political) members have been sitting at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13, and on Sunday, their dharna entered its 293rd day. They are seeking a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP), along with 12 other demands.
Pandher said that after starting from Shambhu, the first stop will be at Jaggi City Center in Ambala on December 6 itself and the next day, the morcha will stop overnight at Mohra in Ambala, followed by Khanpur Jatta, and Pipli in the coming days.
He said, “We will carry small handbags along with essential supplies. However, our dharna at Shambhu and Khanauri will continue as it is, and only contingents will be sent from here. If we get a permanent site for protest in Delhi, the protestors will vacate these highways and participate in that real morcha until our demands are met.”
Satnam Singh Pannu, another farm union leader from the Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Committee, said, “We are upset that during the ongoing Parliament session, MPs are not addressing the demands of farmers and workers, despite the fact they have been sitting on the road and going on hunger strikes.”
Manjeet Singh Rai, president of BKU Doaba, said, “The group will embark with determination, facing all challenges and injustices imposed by the government, and will march towards Delhi. We appeal to the general public of Punjab and Haryana to actively support the morcha.”
It is important to note that earlier, the Punjab government detained Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the coordinator of the SKM non-political group, at the Khanauri border during the night of November 25-26, just hours before his planned hunger strike. He was taken to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana for treatment. However, Dallewal was discharged late in the evening on November 29 after doctors determined he was fit to leave. He has since resumed his hunger strike at the Khanauri border.
Farmer leader Guramneet Singh Mangat provided an update on the decisions made during the recent Kisan Mazdoor Morcha meeting. He announced that on December 6, farmer organizations from Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Kerala will peacefully march toward their respective state assemblies. Mangat also mentioned that individuals interested in joining the march to Delhi can register for volunteer groups through the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha’s social media accounts. Google forms are also available for registration.
Farmer union leaders of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and SKM non-political at Kisan Bhawan on Sunday afternoon. (Express Photo) 
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