Farmers in Punjab and Haryana
held demonstrations against the agriculture-related farm bills passed
in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday.

The Haryana unit of the Bharatiya
Kisan Union, along with other farmer outfits, called for a
statewide protest and blocked all roads for three hours from
12 pm to 3 pm, PTI reported.

Also Read: Rajya Sabha passes Farm Bills by voice vote amid Opposition protest

‘Arhatiyas’
or commission agents have also joined in the protests.

Meanwhile,
the Punjab Youth Congress has also arranged a ‘tractor rally’ from Punjab to
Delhi against the Centre’s farm-related measures.

The rally began
in Mohali in the morning and was proceeding on the national highway towards
Ambala, amid heavy deployment of the Haryana police on the
Haryana-Punjab border.

The Haryana
Police used water cannon to disperse the Youth Congress workers at the Sadoupur
border in Ambala.

Prior to
the tractor rally, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV said that the
farm bills were “anti-farmer” adding that his party stands shoulder-to-shoulder
with farmers.

Meanwhile,
farmers in Punjab burnt copies of farm bills and effigies of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, alleging that the bills will destroy their livelihoods.

Also Read: Uproar in Rajya Sabha over passage of Farm Bills, MPs flout COVID-19 protocols

At places
like Ludhiana, Ferozpur, Sangur and Barnala, protestors raised slogans against
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.

A farmer in
Talwandi Sabo said, “These farm bills will destroy the farmers and farm
labourers and we strongly oppose these bills.”

Farmers
have raised concerns about being left at the “mercy” of big corporates as they
fear the bills will lead to the scrapping of the Minimum Support Price (MSP)
system.

Punjab
Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said that all parties, except for the BJP and the Shiromani
Akali Dal (SAD), were standing with the farmers, slamming SAD chief Sukhbir Singh
Badal for supporting these “black laws”.

Also Read: Agriculture reform bills: Why farmers, opposition are protesting against it

“After
seeing the farmers’ anger, Badal had to change his stand on the farm bills
issue. Farmers have broken his arrogance,” Jakhar said.

The Farmer’s
Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the
Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm
Services Bill, 2020 were passed in the Rajya Sabha after Union Agriculture
Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced them earlier today.

SAD leader
Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from her position in the Union Cabinet in opposition
to the Bills after they were passed in the Lok Sabha.