Singhu: Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at the Singhu border for over a week. They are demanding the revocation of the three farm laws passed by the Narendra Modi government earlier this year.
Among the protesters are children who joined the protest to show solidarity with the movement, arriving at the Delhi-Haryana border with their parents aboard tractors, buses, and trucks.
ThePrint’s Manisha Mondal met a few children at Singhu border and chronicled their experience, which includes balancing their studies with participation in the protest.
Gursimrat Kaur, a student of class 6, told ThePrint that she joins the protest after finishing her studies. Her routine includes a cup of tea in the morning and solving mathematical problems for two hours while the elders discuss protest strategies.
Kaur, 11, is the only daughter of her farmer parents. “All the farmers protesting here are educated. Hence, they could understand the flaws in the laws introduced by the government. I am studying so that, in the future, no one can cheat me with such draconian laws.”
“Agar Modi ziddi hai toh ye kisan bhi ziddi hai (If Modi is stubborn, so is the farmer),” she added, while solving equations. “Hum apna hak lekar hi wapis jaynge, chahe kuch bhi ho jaye (We will only go back after claiming our right, no matter what).”
Wearing a red turban with a kisan badge pinned to it, 13-year-old Gursewak Singh is here with his father and other relatives. He studies in Class 7 at a private school in Amritsar, and said he has been a part of the protest since it first began in September.
According to Singh, he tries to study for two hours every day, with his teachers handing out assignments online.
Singh, who aspires to become a farmer, said farming “today is going down the hill”. “The new laws will cause problems for the farmers, and the rich people will benefit from them,” he added.
Some other youngsters have arrived at the protest site temporarily, briefly abandoning their studies to give their full participation.
These include Ramanvir Singh, a class 10 student, and Puneet Singh, a class 11 student, both of whom are here for a week from Mohali.
Puneet said they will catch up with studies once they return home.
“Hum ye hak ki ladai ladne aye hai, apna hak lekar hi jaynge (We have come here to fight for our rights, and will only go back once we get them),” he said. “Joining the protest was necessary.”
This protest is beyond logic, no where laws mention to eliminate MSP, farmers are actually getting freedom to sell out of mandis if they get better prices, if they don’t, they can come back and sell it in mandis at MSP. And what is the issue with other 2 laws i.e essential commodities and contract farming, no is forcing any farmer to get into contract farming but how can they deny the right of farmers who want to get into contract farming.
This whole political facade is played out by punjab govt, why doesnt punjab’s congress govt come out with their own procurement policy?
And most irritating is the stupid attempts to get sympathy by showing children, 70+ grandmas, what is next? Pregnant women delivering on highway to protest farm law. Most of these farmers have trucks, tractors, ration for 2-3 months loaded so they are no way poor. 86% of Indian farmers are small and marginal (<2 ha lands) and dont have this liberty but just because opposition parties see a opening they are ready to neglect the interest of all other farmers and play dumb. Even media house are playing along. Maybe that is the reason why India is the way it is, people are just plain stupid.
Don’t glorify these fools. After the last harvest, they have nothing more to do. So they are sitting in protest, picnicking in the bargain. These techniques of children on display is copy from Shaheen bagh protests. Eventually, these will peter out. Stupid punjabi farmers don’t know what is good for them. They want status qua to continue so that they can dump wheat on government, take MSP payment and go home. Lazy bums.
The protesters are using children as a pawn to gain sympathy.
Oh! Children too!!! Great for India and this publicity, even greater. Way to go for progress?
Since when did MSP become a right? It was always a subsidy!
Camel and the tent scenario where a bunch of pampered farmers are now extorting the Govt of India!
Stop all FCI procurement in Punjab.