One of the vehicles taking part in the support rally Friday morning, seen with a sign attached to its side window and flag on its front end (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Local Punjabi community holds drive-by rally in support of farming protests in India

Dec 4, 2020 | 11:53 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – If you noticed a string of cars decked out with flags and signs driving along Mayor Magrath Drive Friday morning, there’s an explanation for that.

Members of the local Punjabi community came together for a safe rally in support of protests happening in India.

The India protests are opposing new agricultural laws passed in September that could, according to some, greatly affect the livelihoods of regional farmers and their families.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the new laws will give farmers more autonomy to set their own prices and sell their items directly to private businesses.

A concern from protesters is that corporations could exploit agricultural workers under the new laws.

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“It’s very important for us because most of the people from the Punjab region, they belong to the farming community,” said Harpinder Randhawa, one of the organizers of Friday’s support rally in Lethbridge.

He added that many people in the Punjabi community in southern Alberta come from farming families as well.

“In southern Alberta, it’s even more relevant because it’s [the region] a big hub for agriculture,” he said.

“The government in India introduced a new law recently which will marginalize family farms and introduce laws that [are] all profit for the big corporations, so that’s why the farmers are protesting. They have been farming for centuries and now, the new marketing system that they are introducing, it will further marginalize and exploit them through the hands of big corporations.”

He said outside of the protests in India, support rallies are being held world-wide, with some across Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Participants leaving the ENMAX Centre parking lot (Lethbridge News Now)

Randhawa added that Punjabi is a major agricultural state in India and is known as the “bread-basket” of the country. He said the new laws are a great threat to that sector.

Randhawa touched on why the local Punjabi community decided to hold an event specifically in Lethbridge.

“There’s a big pressure now in New Delhi from the farmers all over Punjab and India,” he said.

“We’d like to make this impact eventually, that everyone in India who is protesting, [they] have [our] support, we have their back, we are supporting them big-time and they should continue until they get this bill revoked.”

Cars seen leaving the ENMAX Centre lot on to Scenic Drive S. (Lethbridge News Now)

As for keeping in line with COVID-19 restrictions, those attending Friday’s event remained within their cohorts and instead of walking as a large group, participants decorated their cars with support flags and signs and drove together in a loop starting at the ENMAX Centre, across Mayor Magrath Drive and back to the ENMAX.

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