Chandigarh: Farmers at many places in Punjab and Haryana on Thursday held tractor marches on the occasion of 78th Independence Day to press the Centre to accept its demands, including a legal guarantee on MSP for crops. The call for taking out tractor marches was given by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) that are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march in support of the farmers' demands.
Farmers from Punjab led by SKM (Non-Political) and KMM began the 'Delhi Chalo' march to Delhi on February 13 to demand minimum support price for crops, among other things, but were stopped by Haryana Police, who had set up barricades, including cemented blocks, on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway.
The farmers clashed with police personnel and have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points ever since. In Amritsar on Thursday, around 600 tractors, sporting the national flag and flags of farmers' outfits, participated in the tractor march. The tractor march, which was led by farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, began from Attari and would culminate at Golden Gate, after covering around 30 kilometers.
Pandher slammed the Centre for not considering its demand of giving legal guarantee to MSP, saying that farmers were not getting right prices for their crops. Protesting farmers also said they would continue to hold their protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri till their demands were not met. In Bathinda, too, farmers also took out a tractor march.
In Haryana's Ambala, farmers took out a tractor march which passed through Balana, Shahzadpur and Narayangarh villages. The march was led by farmer Navdeep Singh. In Panchkula's Pinjore, farmers led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) leader Tejvir Singh, held a tractor march.
