Members of Punjabi community rally across Lower Mainland in solidarity with farmers in India

SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Members of the local Punjabi community rallied across the Lower Mainland in their cars on Wednesday to support India’s farmers.

Farmers in India are facing new legislation that could lead to privatization on farms, potentially putting their livelihoods at risk.

Moninder Singh, a volunteer at the demonstration, explains locals rallied to support family members at home and to encourage Canadian politicians to speak out against the violence facing those farmers who are protesting in India.

The rally started in Surrey before the crowd made its way to the Indian Consulate in Downtown Vancouver.

“Most of the Indo-Canadian community, the Punjabi community, is all from the Punjab in India. So Punjab is primarily an agricultural state most of our families, our cousins our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, are actually sitting on these on the frontlines in Delhi right now so it’s a very deep connection to us. Even those of us that are born and raised here we keep very close contact with our families.”

Members of the local Punjabi community rallied in their cars today to support farmers in India. https://t.co/n4r89ANwJr pic.twitter.com/cYZI1XDtSP

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Singh says he understands there may be some concern over holding a rally during a pandemic, but says organizers were doing their best to make sure everyone was staying in their car and masking up.

The protests have gone on for at least two months in Punjab and Haryana states but gained nationwide limelight on Thursday when thousands of farmers clashed with police, who used tear gas, water cannons and baton charges to push them back as they tried to enter New Dehli.

Farmers have long been seen as the heart and soul of India, where agriculture supports more than half of the country’s 1.3 billion people. But farmers have also seen their economic clout diminish over the last three decades. Once accounting for a third of India’s gross domestic product, they now produce only 15% of gross domestic product, which is valued at $2.9 trillion a year.

Farmers often complain of being ignored and hold frequent protests to demand better crop prices, more loan waivers and irrigation systems to guarantee water during dry spells. Suicide rates for farmers have also increased over the years, as many farmers felt the burden of increasing financial debt.

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Singh explains farmers are being misled and marginalized where some feel “they’re at the mercy of larger corporations to be bought out.”

“Small-time farmers will lose their livelihoods, but also their actual farms, their land and were left pretty much a destitute at the end of this,” he says. “So, this is really in their support for the government to repeal the unlawful bills that they’ve actually passed in parliament and that because of that there’s right now hundreds of thousands of people descending on Delhi.”

On Monday, Trudeau weighed in on the protests during a virtual celebration for Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab, a festival to mark the 551st birthday of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.

“The situation is concerning, and we’re all very worried about family and friends I know that’s the reality for many of you,” Trudeau said.

“Let me remind you Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that’s why we’ve reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns. This is a moment for all of us to pull together.”

– With files from The Associated Press