Chandigarh: After almost a month-long stand-off, Punjab farmers protesting against Centre’s farm laws decided to allow movement of both passenger and goods trains in the state for 15 days starting Monday.
The decision by the members of a conglomerate of 30 farmer unions came after a one and a half hour meeting with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh at the Kisan Bhawan here.
However, the farmer bodies said they will block the rail tracks again if the government fails to resolve their issues.
“We have decided to withdraw the rail roko agitation temporarily in the interest of the state from November 23 evening. If the farm acts are not revoked within 15 days of that we will restart the rail roko agitation blocking both goods and passenger trains. The rest of our programmes including the Delhi chalo agitation on 26 and 27 November will continue,” Jagmohan Singh, member of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee told ThePrint.
The Chief Minister had appealed to the farmer bodies to reconsider their decision and allow passenger trains to run along with goods trains.
Rail roko agitation
The protesting farmers had started the rail roko agitation on 3 October. However, following shortage of fertilisers for sowing of wheat crop as well as of coal for power plants in the state, the farmers allowed the running of goods trains.
The railways had, however, decided not to run goods trains to Punjab till farmers also agreed to allow passenger trains to run. A seven-hour long meeting of a delegation of the protesting farmers with central ministers including Railways Minister Piyush Goyal had failed to yield any results.
On 18 November, members of the conglomerate of 30 farmer unions decided against lifting the blockade on passenger trains. Calling the decision “unfortunate”, Amarinder Singh had said he was expecting the farmers to allow passenger trains to run since the government of India was engaging with them over their demands.
Also read: Why farmers’ protest against farm laws has led to a power crisis in power-surplus Punjab
“Farmers allow the trains to run…” is this what it means when they say it is Government by the people…” in a democracy? Just asking.
In our democracy I thought the courts (another institution to uphold democracy) had sometime ruled that the public should not be inconvenienced during any form of protests. It just does not matter. Is it? Just asking.
Modi Govt won. Big agrarian land-lords blinked.
No face-saving for the protesters.
Is central government/ Railways ready to accept 15 days relaxation condition ?