Last Updated on July 30, 2023 by admin
Farmers on Monday blocked a key national highway in Pipli in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district after holding a mahapanchayat to press their demand for minimum support price for sunflower seeds. As the blockade of the highway connecting Delhi with Chandigarh, Amritsar and Jammu continued till late night, police had to divert traffic. The “MSP Dilao, Kisan Bachao Mahapanchayat“, called by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni), was held at a grain market in Pipli close to the National Highway-44 as they blocked the highway and parked their tractors on it.
The district administration and the police were making efforts to persuade the protesting farmers to lift the blockade, which continued till late night and caused inconvenience to commuters. Apart from MSP for sunflower seeds, the protesting farmers are demanding the release of nine farmer union leaders who were arrested during a protest at Shahabad in Kurukshetra recently.
They said the blockade will continue until their demands are met. Leaders of various khaps, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait and Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia, one of the grapplers who have been demanding action against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment of women grapplers, attended the mahapanchayat in Pipli.
