The farmers who are protesting against the three contentious farm laws at the borders of Delhi have announced a day-long hunger strike on Monday, even as the agitation spread to different parts of the country with peasant unions staging demonstrations at district headquarters.
40 farmer union leaders have declared a hunger strike from 8 am to 5 pm at both Singhu and Tikri borders and outside the Deputy administration office, as per a report in India Today. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurmeet Singh Chadauni threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike from December 19, which is the martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh religion Guru, Tej Bahadur.
The protesting farmer unions are also said to rope in women of all age groups to join the protest. Widows and mothers of debt-ridden farmers who died by suicide are said to join the protest by December 16 and arrangements have been made for their night stay at the border, according to a report in TOI.
Meanwhile, lending his support to the farmers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that he will also be holding a fast on Monday. He also appealed to people to fast wherever they are in support of protesting farmers, and asserted that farmers will win in the end.
"Fasting is sacred. Wherever you are, fast for our farmer brothers. Pray to God for the success of their struggle. In the end, farmers will definitely win," Kejriwal tweeted.
Meanwhile, a large group of farmers on Sunday blocked the key Delhi-Jaipur national highway when it was stopped by police on Haryana-Rajasthan border.
The farmers have been protesting against the three farm laws passed by the Parliament in September, and have demanded a complete roll back of the three laws. The farmer unions have held talks with the Union government as well, and the government has offered a few palliative measures, such as written MSP assurances, retention of the APMC mandi system, legal route for settling corporate farming disputes, dilution in stringent stubble burning laws, etc. However, the farmers have maintained that there was nothing new in the measures offered and have continued the protests.
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