Kerala farmers pour into protest site at Delhi border

Ghazipur: Crowds swelled at the Ghazipur border on Sunday as scores of farmers from Kerala joined the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) members who have stayed put on the protest site demanding repeal of the Centre's new farm laws.

The farmers marked their agitation in a unique way, celebrating the Kerala Day, playing chenda and taking out a march in a traditional manner, that adorned a new look to the site.

Many farmers of north India were dancing into the tune of chenda's beat, the IANS reported.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait also participated in the celebration.

National Farmers Coordinator, Vincent Philip, who came from Kerala, said, "farmers in Kerala have got a great opportunity to bring up our issues regarding the pricing of the products."

Rama, who represented the Delhi-Malayali Union, reached the site and discussed in detail the three new agricultural laws.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at the Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

As the farmers' protest completed 100 days, the Congress on Saturday had said the period was a "black chapter" in India's democracy for the treatment meted out to the protesters and also marked 100 days of the ruling BJP's "arrogance".

Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several Delhi border points, including Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur, since November 28, demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

The government has denied allegations that it was trying to put an end to the MSP and the mandi system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured farmers that the MSP would continue.

Farmer leaders have already made it clear that they would not settle for anything less than the repeal of the farm laws.