AS farmers threaten a “tractor parade” to New Delhi on the event of Republic Day if their calls for in opposition to the brand new agricultural legal guidelines will not be met, becoming a member of them could be girls from Haryana villages.
At a number of locations throughout the state, girls are receiving coaching to drive tractors, with one such session held for these belonging to Jind district, at Khatkar Toll Plaza on Jind-Patiala National Highway, on Monday.
Women have been current in massive numbers on the protests being held by farmers at Delhi borders, now into their second month. By having girls experience into the Capital on January 26 now, whereas driving tractors, a startling change for patriarchal Haryana, farm unions don’t simply hope to draw eyeballs but additionally ship a message that their households stand behind them within the agitation.
At the Khatkar Toll Plaza — the farmers have made all such tolls throughout Haryana “free” — the ladies are educated in every little thing from how you can begin a tractor and change it off, earlier than being handed the steering.
Sikkim Nain, from Safa Kheri village, mentioned round hundred of them from the district have been attending the coaching classes on the toll plaza, with related preparations on throughout the state. “This is just a trailer for the government. We will take our tractors to the Red Fort to participate in the tractor parade. It will be a historical event,” mentioned Nain, 38.
“Women power has joined the battlefield now. We are not going to retreat, don’t take us lightly. This is the second battle of Independence. If we don’t fight today, what would be our reply to future generations?” she added.
Introducing herself as “Khatkar gaon hai, Rajpal ki gharwali hun, Saroj naam hai (My village is Khatkar, my husband is Rajpala, and I am Saroj”, a 35-year-old mentioned, “I am the daughter of a farmer. The government has already committed a lot of atrocities on farmers but we won’t tolerate this anymore.”
Vijender Sindhu, a farmer, mentioned girls have been coming for coaching from Khatkar, Safa Kheri, Barsola and Pokri Kheri villages, amongst others. An aged farmer, Satbir Pehlwal, admitted that letting the ladies take this step was an enormous leap for them, however a pure one. “Our sons are fighting at the international borders while our men have gheraoed the national capital,” mentioned Pehlwal, including that they have been decided to accentuate their stir if their calls for weren’t met.
Khap chief Azad Singh Palwan additionally drew the navy parallel, saying the tractor parade by their men and women “will be like the one taken out by jawans (on Republic Day)”.
