The Jharkhand unit of the Congress will organise a tractor rally in Santhal Pargana on Sunday to express solidarity with the protesting farmers and demand withdrawal of the new farm laws.

Jharkhand agriculture minister Badal Patralekh said on Thursday that they have requested farmers of the state to join the ‘hul’ rally that will start from Kargil Chowk in Godda and will culminate at Rohini Saheed Sthal in Deoghar, around 80km away.

“The rally will be coordinated by Congress MLA and former minister Pradeep Yadav, while finance minister Rameshwar Oraon will the chief guest on the occasion,” Patralekh told mediapersons at the Congress Bhawan in Ranchi.

Minister and Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam, minister Satyanand Bhokta, party MLAs and leaders of the ruling alliance partners will also join the rally, he added.

“When I went to the Singhu border to express solidarity with the agitating farmers, I saw how they were spending nights in the biting cold. Many died during the agitation,” Patralekh said, adding that many young people preparing for competitive examinations or aspiring to be doctors had also joined the farmers.

“The coming generations will not forgive us if we don’t do our bit to express our solidarity with the farmers who are demanding withdrawal of the farm laws that are spreading discontent among them and try to draw attention of the badshah (ruler) who paid no heed,” Patralekh said without taking any particular name.

We are holding meetings at various places for inviting farmers to join the tractor rally on Sunday, the agriculture minister said.

“We condemn the violence that happened in Delhi on Republic Day but it was designed to sabotage the farmers’ agitation and to malign them,” he said, referring to the chaos at the Red Fort.

“I appeal to both the President and the Supreme Court to take cognisance and institute a judicial inquiry into the happenings that day so that the truth comes to the fore,” Patralekh demanded.