'Listen to those who feed the country': Vinesh Phogat to govt

BATHINDA/PATIALA: Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat on Saturday joined the farmers' protest at Punjab and Haryana's Shambhu and Khanauri borders when this struggle for minimum support price (MSP) and some other demands completed 200 days.

Stating that the farmers were "annadatas" and "like her family", she made an appeal to the central govt to listen to their demands. The agitation at both places is on since Feb 13. Vinesh told the big gathering that: "It pains me to see how the farmers who feed the country and even us athletes are treated. It hurts when international ambassadors of the country like us feel helpless in these matters at home".

She said that when the BJP's previous govt had apologised to the farmers after their first agitation, it had also made them some promises, and now was the time to fulfil those. She said: "If they are forced to keep sitting on the roads, the country will be at loss. Their courage has sustained the struggle when it was easy to lose hope. Their spirt is high even after 200 days, like it's the first day (of protest). It inspires my family to fight for our rights, even if we must take to streets. As part of the farmer family, I appeal to the govt to show large heartedness and understand their anger."

On Friday, Vinesh Phogat had visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The farmer unions gathered at Shambhu and Khanauri borders threatened to disrupt railway traffic for 2 hours on Oct 3, third anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which a car from the convoy of a central minister's son had mowed down five farmers and a journalist at three years ago, and the farmers had lynched its occupants in response. The farmer unions will also hold two rallies -- at Jind on Sept 15 and at Pipli on Sept 22 - and have a meeting in the next few days to decide what role to play in the Haryana assembly elections of Oct 1.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha convener Sarvan Singh Pandher said: "How the govt can be so insensitive to those who feed the nation. When we want to go to the national capital to raise our voice, it stops us by with concrete walls and teargas." Jagjit Singh Dallewal of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) said: "Even after close to 7 months on road, the govt seems in no mood for dialogue or accepting our demands."

At Khanauri, Vinesh remembered young farmer 'Shubhkaran', who had died there. "I watched you face bullets here, but Shubkaran's sacrifice will not go in vain," she said.