Farmers to Block Railways Tomorrow in Protest Against Bittu’s Comments

by The_unmuteenglish

Shambu: Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu’s remarks blaming farmer unions for blocking rail tracks and disrupting foodgrain loading have sparked outrage among farmer leaders at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders with farmers announcing two-hour nationwide rail blockade on 3 October.

According to reports, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM-Non Political) have announced a two-hour nationwide rail blockade to protest on the third anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, where eight individuals—including four farmers and a journalist—were killed during a protest against the now-repealed three farm laws in 2021.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, a leader from the farmer unions, has urged farmers to join the protest in large numbers to symbolically respond to the Union minister’s comments.

Reports said the rail blockade is scheduled to take place at approximately 35 locations across 15 districts in Punjab, including Batala, Gurdaspur, and Moga, among others.

Protests will also be held at three locations in Haryana, two each in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh, as well as at three sites in Uttar Pradesh.

On Tuesday, BJP member and minister Bittu accused farmers’ protests at the Shambhu border for hindering the transportation of foodgrain. “Punjab is not connected to any port. Major goods transportation occurs via train, and Shambhu is a crucial rail link to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

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