Farmers' Protest: 100 to Hunger Strike at Khanauri Border on March 5, Nationwide Appeal Made

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In the ongoing farmer agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, farmers will begin a hunger strike to demand a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops. On March 5, 100 farmers will participate in a one-day hunger strike at the Khanauri border. Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's hunger strike, which entered its 97th day on Sunday at the Datasinghwala-Khanauri front, will complete 100 days on March 5. On this day, the hunger strike at Khanauri will be symbolic, with 100 farmers joining in for a single day. Additionally, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohad has urged farmers across the country to organize one-day symbolic hunger strikes at district and tehsil levels on March 5.

On March 8, which marks International Women's Day, women panchayats will be held at the Datasinghwala-Khanauri, Shambhu, and Ratnapura farmer fronts to highlight the issue of the MSP guarantee law. During these panchayats, women will take on all major responsibilities, including managing the stage and speaking about the MSP guarantee law.

Farmer leaders have also announced that in March, state-level mahapanchayats will be held across the country to further press for the MSP guarantee law.

Pandher Criticizes Punjab Government’s Anti-Drug Campaign:

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has raised serious concerns about the Punjab government’s anti-drug campaign. On Saturday, Pandher criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal, referring to their pre-election promises to tackle drug abuse. Pandher reminded the government of their statements during the assembly elections, where they had named major drug dealers and promised to break the drug supply chain. He questioned whether the government had forgotten those promises, as no significant action had been taken in the last three years.

Pandher emphasized that merely arresting drug abusers will not solve the problem. He argued that until drug dealers are caught and their operations shut down, drugs will continue to flow freely, ruining the youth of Punjab.