A Uttarakhand resident, Satpal Singh Thukral from Rudrapur district will be cycling barefoot to Amritsar to pay tribute to farmers who lost their lives during their year-long protest against the three farm laws.
Speaking to ANI, Thukral said, "We have been a part of this protest since the beginning. When farmers started losing their lives during the protest, I gave up shoes and slippers. We used to bow down to those who suffered so much for us."
Thukral said that he has also given up on food after four months of farmers protest and survived only on fruits and milk.
"I have given up food for farmers. If we have to save the bread for the labourers and farmers, then why should we not give it up from today itself because it may go into someone else's mouth," he said.
He further described his journey and said that this cycle journey started from Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur and will reach Amritsar to pay tribute to all the deceased farmers.
"We are going to thank the victory that we have got today. Earlier, I had done 250km Padh yatras. Now this is the cycle journey that started from Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Uttarakhand. Today, the farewell of Rakesh Tikait also happened at the Ghazipur border. Now we will go to Shishganj Gurudwara Sahib and salute the martyrs and then will leave for Amritsar tomorrow," he added.
Thukral also said, "We will wear slippers and take food after going to Amritsar and offering ardas. We are walking from here as this Shukrana Yatra. We are just taking milk and fruits."
Farmers had been protesting against the Agri laws on various borders of Delhi since November 26, 2020. However, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on the first day of the Winter session on November 29.
On December 9, the Samyukta Kisaan Morcha the umbrella body under which the farmers had banded together announced the suspension of their year-long agitation after they received a letter from the Central government, with promises of forming a committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and immediate withdrawal of cases against them immediately.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait had said that all farmers will be leaving the protest sites by December 15.
The farmers are heading back to their respective states in large convoys of tractors and trucks, in the same way, they arrived at the sites at the Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri on the outskirts of the national capital a year ago, to protest the Centre's three agrarian laws.
The farmers will hold a review meeting on January 15. "If the government does not fulfil its promises, we could resume our agitation," the SKM had said in its statement.
( With inputs from ANI )
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