‘Centre can do what it wants, no question of stopping’: From epicentre of hunger strike, farmer protests

Here at Khanauri border, Dallewal, a leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), is at the centre, both literally and symbolically, of the blockade put in place by farmers on the Patran-Narwana road between Punjab and Haryana, now stretching for more than 4 km. The blockade will complete a year in February, rivalling the farm protests held on Delhi’s borders in 2020-21.

To guard against the government taking any action to forcibly remove the veteran farmer leader, his resting spot is cordoned off by tractor trolleys welded together and a line of flag-bearing veterans of the 2020 farmers’ protests.

However, in a difference from that agitation, there are not as many tractors around moving down roads blaring Punjabi pop numbers from large speakers, or luxury cars adorned with bling-encrusted registration plates, or jathas or groups of NRI supporters sporting designer wear, or celebrities publicly pledging support.

Now, from a small stage adjacent to a seating area demarcated by mattresses, Gurbani and shabads are played on loudspeakers.

On Tuesday, the Punjab government got a reprieve as the Court granted it three additional days, till January 2, to comply with its orders to shift Dallewal to a hospital. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

What is common are the ubiquitous langars serving everything from lassi, warm milk and tea to kheer, thalis of chapati-dal-sabzi and kadha prasad. Books maintained by the volunteers record the contributions made by different people.

“What makes you give a donation? Your conscience and goodwill, or a cause, right? Everyone who is a farmer and has a conscience, no matter from which part of the country they are, is coming here,” says Buta Singh from Patiala, who was part of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) team that participated in the protests at Singhu border in 2020-21.

On the scaled-down version of the protests this time, Buta Singh’s colleague Shamsher Singh, handing over a steel glass of freshly-made tea, says: “Otthe sho-sha thodi vadh ho gayi si (There was a little too much showing off there). But this protest is different, it’s a matter of our leader’s life.”

Balwinder Singh from Barnala, who oversees the “main langar” at the protest site, says contributions have been pouring in – from drinking water and milk to raw vegetables and cooking oil. “We are getting everything from our pind (village)… We don’t ask for anything,” he says.

A volunteer at the main tent where Dallewal has been camping, with access limited owing to threat of infection to the weakened leader, shows the donation book. “From Rs 100 to Rs 10,000, those in solidarity offer all kinds of amounts,” the volunteer says, adding that “five more farmers are ready to take over” from Dallewal if he ends his fast.

What about offerings from political parties and their representatives? “We turn them back,” says Shamsher Singh. “We remind them about life in our villages. When an average family at a Punjabi pind is willing to take another one in for as long as they need it, how can we hold back from contributing whatever we have when it is a question of the survival of farming in the country?” he asks.

Balaur Singh from Barnala says the BJP-led Centre did not leave them with another option. “The government has forgotten its promises. We started this agitation again to remind them that they had promised to implement the Swaminathan report and put in place a legal guarantee for MSP… They left us with no option other than spending our meagre resources for this protest. We are ready to leave as soon as they fulfill their own promise,” he says.