Close to 200 community members gathered on the corner of Monte Vista Avenue and Countryside Drive in Turlock on Sunday in protest of laws passed in India which they say will subject farmers there to corporate exploitation. The three different laws will impact farmers by removing minimum prices previously set by the government according to Turlock resident Sukhi Veol, who still owns land back in India and in Punjab, specifically, and has friends and family there who are farmers.
Turlock resident Parmine Randhawa, who helped organize the protest in a matter of days, stated it was the least locals could do as cities worldwide protested the new laws.
“This is our lineage — we come from farmers who immigrated here, but that doesn’t take away our roots in India. When their rights are being attacked there, it’s essentially our rights, too,” she said. “This has to do with basic human rights. Obviously we can’t fly there right now to support them, but what we can do is host these peaceful rallies to bring about awareness.”
Turlock resident Parmine Randhawa, who helped organize the protest in a matter of days, stated it was the least locals could do as cities worldwide protested the new laws.
“This is our lineage — we come from farmers who immigrated here, but that doesn’t take away our roots in India. When their rights are being attacked there, it’s essentially our rights, too,” she said. “This has to do with basic human rights. Obviously we can’t fly there right now to support them, but what we can do is host these peaceful rallies to bring about awareness.”
