Women farmers attend Indian farm laws protests on International Women's Day

Thousands of women farmers, students and activists are gathering at Tikri border near Delhi where a protest has been going on against the Centre's three farm laws. These women will take part in the protest on International Women's Day on Monday.

"We urge the central government to roll back the three black laws," said a woman protester who reached Tikri border on Monday morning. The women protesters will be present at other border points too - Ghazipur and Singhu.

International Women's Day (IWD) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

"To celebrate Women's Day, the stage will be managed by women, and the speakers too will be women. And there will be a small march at Singhu border. We are expecting more women to join at different protest sites," farmer leader Kavita Kurugranthy, also a member of the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), told news agency PTI on Sunday.

The SKM said it expects 15,000 women protesters at Tikri and 4,000 at Singhu on Monday.

The farmers have been protesting near Delhi demanding withdrawal of the laws passed in September. The agitation, launched on November 26 last year, has completed 100 days but the farmers have vowed to continue "as long as it takes" for the Centre to listen to their demands.

The government has promised to put these laws on hold for 18 months, and have also held 11 rounds of talks with the farmers but no breakthrough has been achieved. The farmers have said they won't ened their protest until the laws are withdrawn.

The government on its past has times and again said that these laws are histric and will benefit the small farmers. One of the key changes these laws offer is freedom to farmers to sell their produce other than notified marketplaxces (mandis). The protesters say this will end the minimum support price (MSP) system, thereby putting them at the mercy of big corporate houses.

The Centre has assured that the MSP will continue, but the farmers want a legal guarantee on it.