Haryana: Farmers up ante, hold statewide protests against fuel price hike

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 8

On the call of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and other farm organisations, demonstrations against rising fuel prices were held at several locations across the state on Thursday.

Farmers camping at the Tikri border organised a demonstration outside the Mini-Secretariat in Bahadurgarh town and blew horns of their tractors and other vehicles. They also brought empty LPG cylinders with them.

Dhankar’s convoy returns

Hisar: The cavalcade of state BJP chief OP Dhankar took a U-turn when they spotted a group of farm protesters approaching them in Kharar village here on Thursday. He was going to Rohtak after attending a personal event in Hisar. He took this route to avoid farmers at the Mayyar toll plaza on the Hisar-Rohtak highway. TNS

“Extensive hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have not only broken the backbone of the common man but has also disturbed every household’s budget,” said a protester.

In Rohtak, farmers under the All-India Kisan Sabha jointly led by Inderjit Singh, Raju Makrauli and Preet Singh staged a protest in front of the DC office.

The protesters parked their vehicles in a row and blew horns at 12 noon to register their protest. “The prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have been raised over 60 times since January hence we demand a drastic cut in the rates,” said Inderjit Singh.

The farmers parked their tractors on the roadsides and raised slogans against the Centre in Ambala. A number of women also joined the protest and kept empty gas cylinders on roads to mark their protest.

Sukhvidner Singh, a farmer from Jalbera village in Ambala, said, “On the call of the SKM, we have held a protest against the rising fuel prices. The BJP government had claimed to double the farmers’ income but by increasing the fuel prices but it has hiked the input cost only.”

In Karnal, farmers protested at the Bastara toll plaza on the NH-44 and in Kaithal, they staged a dharna near Titram Mor.

Bahadur Singh Mehla, district president, Karnal, IT Cell, BKU, took out a procession on a bullock cart and raised slogans against the Central and the state governments at the Bastara Toll plaza. They alleged that the unnecessary hikes in fuel prices as well as other commodities were affecting the common people.