Hyderabad: To mark 100 days of farmers' agitation against the Centre's farm laws on Saturday, farmers will block the 135-km-long Western Peripheral Expressway, also known as Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, from 11 am to 4 pm.
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Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said they are prepared to continue the protest as long as it is required.
"We are completely prepared. Unless and until the government listens to us and meets our demands, we will not move from here," Tikait, who is among the leaders at the forefront of the movement.
Despite several rounds of talks between the government and the farmer unions, the two sides have failed to reach an agreement, and the farmers have refused to budge until the three laws are repealed.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
The protesting farmers, on the other hand, have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with the "mandi" (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
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While a resolution was reached on two of the four demands -- rollback of the rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning -- in January, a decision on the repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP continues to be stuck in limbo.
However, according to the farmer leaders, the movement, which will complete its 100th day on Saturday, has achieved much beyond the immediate scope of the protest. It has evoked nationwide unity among farmers as well as recognised the contribution of women in farming.
What says Yogendra Yadav
Talking about how the protest has made the farming community a noteworthy player in the country's political landscape, Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India said, "The movement has brought the farmers back on the political landscape of this country. It has made farmers visible once again. It has taught every politician a lesson not to take panga' with the farmers."
"People used to take farmers for granted but this movement has shown that getting into a confrontation with farmers is a costly business, the activist-political said.
The fight against the laws was one cause that seemed to have resonated with a large number of farmers throughout the nation, cutting across religious and caste barriers.
"It has united farmers like never before. Haryana and Punjab farmers are united. Despite deep attempts at communal mobilisation in UP, Hindu and Muslim farmers are united in this protest. Gujjars and Meenas are united in Rajasthan, Yadav said.
KMP expressway blockade: Commuters won't be troubled, promise farmers
As the farmer agitation against the Centre's three farm laws enters its hundredth day on Saturday, union leaders have asserted that their movement is far from over and they are "going strong".
Farmers's organisation Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which is leading the protests, has requested the protesters to wear black bands to register their protest on the day. The farmers have, however, contended that the five-hour blockade will be peaceful.
Those protesting at the Singhu border will reach Kundli and block the toll plazas falling on the way. Besides this, farmers from Ghazipur and Tikri borders will block Dasna and Bahadurgarh toll plaza, respectively. Those sitting on the Shahjahanpur border will block the KMP Expressway touching Gurugram-Manesar.
Their plan of action includes freeing up the toll plazas from collecting fees. Farmers have also said that the toll plaza nearest to the border area will be blocked.
Rajvir Singh Jadaun, Uttar Pradesh President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union stationed at Ghazipur border told, "These toll plazas will be blocked in a peaceful manner and passers-by will not be disturbed. We will keep water for the passers-by. They will also be apprised of our issues with the farm laws."
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He went on to say, "Emergency vehicles will not be stopped, whether it is an ambulance, a fire brigade vehicle or foreign tourists. Military vehicles will also not be stopped."
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has also requested the common people to wave black flags at homes and offices to support the movement and protest against the government.
Jagtar Singh Bajwa, spokesperson of the protest committee at the Ghazipur border told, "Not many people will go from here. A few farmers will reach the Dasna toll. Water will be provided to those who are stopped at the border."
People at Ghazipur border have been urged not to take their tractors to the protest area. The farmers have also been asked to reach there by their own vehicles. Besides this, people residing near the toll plazas will block the area.
How it started
After protesting against the new agri laws in their respective regions, farmers from Punjab and Haryana pushed towards the national capital with their 'Delhi Chalo' march and camped at Singhu and Tikri on November 26 last year.
They were joined a few days later by farmers from UP who set up a camp at the Ghazipur border.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been camping at the various borders of Delhi to protest against the three farm laws since November 26.
Over these 100 days, the farmers have braved harsh weather but remained firm on their demands. They want the repeal of the contentious laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP).
The farmers claim that the laws will weaken the MSP system. The Centre, however, has described the laws as historic, long-needed reforms in the agriculture sector and said that they will bring investment to the market.
The agitated farmers, however, fear that the laws will leave them at the mercy of the big corporate houses and end the 'mandi system,' where farmers are assured of a minimum price for their produce.
With inputs from agencies
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