Ahead of the Budget Session, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced on Monday (22nd July) that they will start fresh protests from 1st August. The protesting farmers allege that the Haryana government felicitated officers who stopped them last time with “tear gas and bullets” at the border. According to them, they will protest against this decision of the Haryana government on 1st August. Subsequently, the protesting farmers will take out a tractor rally nationwide on 15th August, when the country marks Independence Day.

Addressing a press conference, the leaders of the Farmers Union said, “We will burn the copies of new criminal laws.” 

They added, “We will also protest on 31 August as our initial protest will complete 200 Days… We will do a rally in September in Jind and another in Haryana’s Pipli in September.”  The farmers union will also be burning the effigies of the BJP, a clear indication of the political nature of the ‘protests’ that have proven to be a hotbed of criminal activities, law and order disruption, and occasion for lumpen elements to indulge in arson and vandalism.

The leaders of the protesting farm unions further stated that they have been demanding the legalisation of the MSP guarantee but the government said that it will put a burden on the nation’s economy. They alleged that when they discussed it with economic experts, they were told that it was not true. 

Leader of the protesting farmers, Abhimanyu, alleged that the Haryana Government has kept the borders closed despite court orders. 

He added, “We announce that whenever the border will be open, we will move towards Delhi in our trollies.”

Farmer Protest 2.0 began in February 2024

It is pertinent to note that the farmer’s protest 2.0 began earlier this year in February, however, they were stopped at the Haryana borders for several days. The protest later turned violent, and several Police officers and some of the protesting farmers suffered injuries, prompting them to halt the protest for a few days. 

During the protest, a farmer protestor named Shubh Karan Singh reportedly died on 23rd February after he was injured during a clash with police at Khanauri border. He was rushed to Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, where an injury on his head was found. The protestors had alleged that he was shot by police but the police had denied firing on protestors. Reportedly, doctors said that Singh was hit by a rubber bullet.

Incidentally, later, on 10th July, the Punjab and Haryana High Court observed that farmer Shubh Karan Singh, who died at the Khanuri border during farmer protests in February 2024, got shot with a shotgun, a weapon that Haryana police or the other security forces stationed at the site do not possess.

Meanwhile, in February itself, the talks between the protesting farmers and representatives of the government caused several interruptions in the protest which was later called off. As per reports, the farmer unions have now declared the resumption of the Farmers Protest 2.0 from 1st August. 

As per the Times Now report, the timeline announced by the protesting unions is as follows — 

1st August: Unions will stage a protest against the alleged decision of the Haryana government in which it felicitated police officers who according to them were involved in violence against Farmers on 13th Feb

On 15th August: The protestors will take out the Tractor March, nationwide

31st August: They will stage a protest to mark the 200 Days of the 13th Feb Protest

1st September: They will hold a farmer rally in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh

15th and 22nd September: Farmer Rallys in Jind and Pipli, Haryana respectively

The announcement of fresh protest against the Modi government comes a day ahead of the Budget session on 23rd July. 

Meanwhile, apart from the legalisation of the MSP guarantee, the protesting farmers have also demanded strict action against the police officers who allegedly opened fire and tortured the farmers during Farmer’s Protest 2.0 in February 2024. 

Notably, the demands raised by these unions last time also included a pension scheme for elder farmers, the country’s withdrawal from the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and trade agreements among others. 

Tractor rally, a hotbed of vandalism, arson, and law and order disruption

During the first Tractor rally on 26 January 2021, the protesters ran riot on the streets of the national capital as they entered New Delhi with tractors and created a ruckus.  

The demonstrators resorted to vandalism, destroying vehicles on their march into Delhi. Social media platforms were awash with shocking visuals of lumpen protesters vandalising DTC buses in the ITO area. 

Scores of rampaging demonstrators breached the police barricades around the capital and stormed the grounds of Delhi’s historic Red Fort as tumultuous and violent scenes cast a pal over the country’s 2021 Republic Day celebrations. The protesting demonstrators also waved a Sikh flag alongside the Indian flag at the historic monument.