As the farmers’ agitation entered the seventh day on Wednesday, over a dozen wrestlers, kabaddi players and singers from Punjab joined the protest, extending their support to more than 32 kisan unions leading thousands of protestors at Singhu border on the Delhi-Chandigarh route.
Farmers are protesting against the three central farm laws passed in September during the monsoon session of Parliament.
A group of 10 women kabaddi players from Punjab said they are supporting the farmers as their demands were not accepted by the Central government despite protesting in the state for the last three months.
“More than three-month long farmers’ protest did not have the desired impact so they marched to Delhi. Sports progress is dependent on farmers’ progress. If a farmer does not progress, how will sports progress,” leader of the kabaddi team, Surjit Kaur, told IANS.
Kaur said her team is world-class and the players have participated in various competitions in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
The women players appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the three “anti-farmer” laws and accept the farmers’ demands. “Farmers will continue their struggle. They will not return without reaching a settlement. We will continue the agitation until the government agrees to the farmers’ demands.”
Punjabi singer Ravinder Grewal too joined the protest on Wednesday. Former WWE heavyweight champion ‘The Great Khali’ too joined the farmers’ protest. He urged the people of India to support their farmers in the agitation. Khali also said that the battle was not between Punjab and Haryana and that the farmers would not return until their demands were met and that they were equipped with six months’ worth ration.
Meanwhile, a group of wrestlers were busy in distributing ‘langar’—a service in Sikhism to provide free meals to all without discriminating on the basis of religion.
Wrestler Pradeep Kumar, who along with many of his companions was busy in distributing langar, told IANS that they have been participating in the protest from the day when farmers from Punjab reached Singhu border.
“We distributed food to the protestors during the day and participated in the protest. The Central government should accept the farmers’ demands,” Kumar said.
Thousands of farmers are gathered at the Singhu and Tikri borders for the last seven days. Hundreds of protesting farmers have blocked other Delhi border points like Ghazipur on the Delhi-Ghaziabad route and Chilla on the Delhi-Noida road.
With IANS inputs