Kolkata: Farmers in West Bengal have lined up protests and meetings across the state in solidarity with the protesting farmers at Delhi’s borders.
As part of this programme, a team of round 21 farmers belonging to the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) Bongaon will be joining their Haryana and Punjab brethren on January 12.
Since January 9, the Y channel in Esplanade area has been seeing daily protest demonstrations, and on January 20-22, there are plans to blockade Kolkata’s most important archway at Rani Rashmoni Avenue, according to AIKS state secretary
In fact, farmer protests in Delhi are resonating at the district level in the state. In East Medinipore district, a farmers’ walkathon has been held in most of the villages.
“Last Sunday, from Pitambarchak, the walkhathon covered 16 kilometres in Khejuri area and another one in Shahid Matangini block to Mugberia. Walkathons were held in 25 blocks of the districts, lending support to the fighting farmers in the national capital. The district, known for the Tamralipta Jatiyo Sarkar after the 1942 Quit India movement call by Gandhi, had been in the news recently after farmland was changed to non-agricultural land sans permission,” AIKS leader Tapas Sinha told NewsClick.
Such programmes were also held in Murshidabad and Hooghly districts, Malda, East Dinajapur etc.
Interestingly, farmers joining the AIKS rally in Narayangarh in West Medinipore district alleged that in the Pithpira, Birbira area, some tribals were lured to join the BJP rally held recently in Medinipore town (when Amit Shah inducted turncoat politician Suvendu Adhikary into BJP) and about Rs 250 was promised to them as single-day wage. However, later they were paid only Rs 50 and the rest Rs 200 was ‘cut money’ that was “devoured” by local BJP leaders, they alleged.
On January q3, protest programmed will be held in Kolkata and at tehsil level in most districts, while on January 18, a ‘Women’s Kisan Day’ will be observed in association with the All India Democratic Women’s Association.
