‘It is painful to see this, we appeal to the govt to listen…’: Vinesh Phogat joins protesting farmers at Shambhu border

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat on August 31 joined the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border and said, “the country will not develop if people sit on the streets like this.” The wrestler was also praised by farmer leaders when he arrived at the protest site at the Shambhu border.

The farmers, who were stopped on February 13 on their way to Delhi, have been camping at the Shambhu border for 200 days. They are demanding, among other things, a legal guarantee of a minimum guaranteed price (MSP) for their crops.

Speaking from the spot, Phogat said, “It’s been 200 days since they have been sitting here. It’s painful to see. They are all citizens of this country. Farmers run the country. Nothing is possible without them, even sportsmen – if they don’t feed us, we can’t compete. Many times we are helpless and can’t do anything, we represent the country at such a high level, but we can’t do anything for our family even when we see them sad.”

“I urge the government to listen. They admitted their mistake last time, they should keep their promises. The country will not develop if people sit on the streets like this,” the wrestler said.

Farmers have planned to gather in large numbers to mark the end of their 200-day protest at the Shambhu border on August 31. Protests are also expected to be held at the Khanauri and Ratanpura borders.

Amid the ongoing protests in the election-bound state of Haryana, farmer groups have once again voiced their opposition to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while planning a series of mahapanchayats to raise awareness about the issues and their ongoing demands.

Haryana was the main centre of farmers’ protests in 2020-21 against the now-scrapped farm laws. The protest was held under the banner of Smayukt Kisan Morcha.

Last week, Phogat met former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his residence in New Delhi, fuelling speculation that the wrestler was likely to join the Congress and contest the October 1 elections, reported the Indian Express. While Vinesh did not say anything, Hooda said that whoever comes to the Congress, “we welcome him”, the report added.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in the 2019 elections, lost five to the Congress.

This time, while the Congress is challenging the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party has also announced that it will contest all 90 seats. This time, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has joined hands with the BSP and Dushyant Chautala’s Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which was in alliance with the BJP till March this year, among others.

Elections to the 90-member Haryana state assembly will be held on October 1 and results will be declared on October 4.