Shambhu Morcha enters 142nd day; farmers announce support for opening national highway for traders
Ferozepur, July 3, 2024: The farmer's protest at its Shambhu border has entered its 142nd day over the main demand of guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops besides various other demands and today announced strong support for the opening of the national highway for traders of Punjab and Haryana.
In February, tens of thousands of farmers gathered at the Shambhu border, a key interstate checkpoint. They expressed anger towards the government for not fulfilling its promise to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
Added here, the Haryana Transport and Women and Child Development Minister Aseem Goel, who is MLA from Ambala City is reported to have asked Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to pacify the farmers sitting on protest for over five months at the Shambhu border on the National Highway (NH) 44 (GT Road).
Today, the traders of Ambala also protested, as earlier announced by them, for the opening of a national highway blocking the entry of farmers to Delhi. NH 44 is considered the region's lifeline as it connects the national capital New Delhi to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
Speaking in a video message, Sarwan Singh Pandher, farmer leader representing Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said, the farmers will give strong support to the traders of Punjab and Haryana, for opening of a national highway which is considered the lifeline of the region as it connects the national capital New Delhi to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and J&K which has caused inconvenience to the general public and especially businessmen of Ambala are facing difficulties in doing their business.
He also said that we have no objection to dialogue over the demands of the farmers, making it clear that our protest would continue till our demands are accepted.
Pandher said that we condemn floating the message that farmers have blocked the national highway whereas it is the Haryana government that has blocked it restricting the entry of farmers to Delhi to protest over their demands.
We are exposing the Haryana Minister’s press release that farmers have blocked the national highway. So far as issues of traders of Ambala or any other state are concerned, we stand with them for our programme of the national highway and are ready to join with them in any protest anywhere, he said.
He further said, as per our programme, we will be submitting the memorandums to 240 MPs other than BJP MPs on July 8 and gehrao the office of SP Ambala to protest on July 17, for the release of arrested farmers.