Farmers in Karnataka have decided to take out a tractor rally on Republic Day tomorrow in opposition to the passage of the three agricultural laws that have seen widespread opposition from agriculturists in the country. The ‘tractor parade’ will be taken out in Bengaluru emulating the tractor rallies that will be taken out by farmers who have camped on the borders of Delhi for the past two months. The tractor parade will commence from five separate locations at 9 a.m. Of the five locations, four are on the outskirts of Bengaluru while one rally will commence from the Krantivira Sangolli Railway Station within the city. The five rallies will converge at Freedom Park in central Bengaluru by around 12:30 p.m.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangh (KRRS) president Kodihalli Chandrashekar said, “Once the Chief Minister finishes hoisting the national flag and conveys his message to the people of Karnataka, we will start our parade. The parade will be peaceful and no government property will be damaged. We will ensure that the common man is not affected by the parade. Around 10,000 tractors and other vehicles will converge at Freedom Park as part of the parade.”
Badagalpura Nagendra, who is also a senior leader of the KRRS said, “We have organised a massive tractor rally in Bengaluru in opposition to the three agricultural laws. Farmers have already begun to head towards Bengaluru in their tractors from different parts of the State.”
Chandrashekar also advised the State government and the Bengaluru City Police Department to provide permission for the event. “In case, they do not provide permission for the event, we will block the highways at the entry and exit points of the tractor parade,” he warned. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee has lent its support to the parade.
