Indo-Canadians as well as Non Resident Indians (NRI) of Punjabi origin living in Canada held a car rally from Surrey to downtown Vancouver on January 26 to hold a peaceful protest in front of the Indian Consulate offices on Howe Street.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

VANCOUVER – NRI supporters of Indian Farmers’ ongoing struggle, including large numbers in Vancouver and across Canada, were out in full force on Republic Day, holding peaceful protests while anti-farmer and Indian government forces tried to derail their struggle with false flag hoisting and violence.

Indo-Canadians as well as Non Resident Indians (NRI) of Punjabi origin living in Canada held a car rally from Surrey to downtown Vancouver on January 26 to hold a peaceful protest in front of the Indian Consulate offices on Howe Street.

In Brampton, the car rally started at 2.30 pm on January 26 from the Soccer Centre, 1495 Sandalwood Parkway E, and made its way to Indian Passport Office, 20 Gillingham, Brampton.

The rally was supported by Sarokaran-di-Awaz, Alliance of Progressive Canadians, Disha – a women’s organisation, GTA West Club, Indo-Canadian Workers Association, Parvasi Punjabi Pensioners Association, Sirjanharian – a women’s group, Canadian Punjabi Sahit Sabha, ML Party of Canada, and Prof Mohan Singh Foundation.

Another ‘kisan rally’ was held from Calgary to Edmonton. The rally started from the Cross Iron Mills Mall in Calgary at 9 am.

Calgary-based Paramjeet Singh said: “The Indian farmer community of Calgary will undertake a protest on January 26 to show absolute solidarity with farmers in India in their struggle with Indian Government for enacting draconian Farm Bills giving agricultural rights to allied corporates and rendering land owner farmers as mere tenants to work on their own lands for sowing/harvesting of farm produce.”

Indian farmers are protesting peacefully for the last several months by gathering in open spaces, facing all incremental auguries of climate, resulting in loss of several dozen precious human lives but Indian Government is still adamant on not repealing these Bills, he said.


Paramjeet Singh further said that they were moving to the provincial legislature with a request to convey their sentiments to the Government of Canada for taking up the matter at their level with the Indian Government for processing the matter urgently on logical and humanitarian grounds.

“Canadians having land holdings in India or with their near and dear ones among the farmers’ community have their own concerns about the farm laws, which have not been addressed yet,” he pointed out.

A few days ago, members of the Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) came together to reject controversial Indian laws.

They burnt copies of the contentious Indian farm laws, Citizenship Amendment Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act outside the Indian visa and passport office in Surrey to mark the 92nd birth anniversary of US civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In Vancouver, supporters of Indian farmers said it’s critical to ensure that various communities speak out against oppressive laws favouring corporations instead of farmers.

Organizers say they’ve reached out to various groups — including Indigenous activists and Black Lives Matter — to denounce the policies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One of the organizers adds their rallies go beyond farming.

“It’s about the greater issue about the corruption of the Indian government,” she says. “The event is a great showing of community and spirit as with the solidarity with Indian farmers and the larger context of human rights abuses.”