Ahead of the 75th Independence Day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out its ‘Tiranga Yatra’ from the Bhiwani district of Haryana on Sunday. The Tiranga Yatra by the BJP will continue for two weeks till August 15 and cover all the 90 Assembly constituencies.

BJP’s state chief OP Dhankar said thousands of farmers also joined the event. Dhankar and Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal rode a tractor with Tricolour on its both sides during the ‘yatra’ which was taken out on a 30-km long route from Bahal to Loharu.

During the two-week-long ‘yatra’, senior BJP leaders would take part and pay homage to great freedom fighters and unsung heroes of India’s freedom movement.

The Tiranga Yatra’ aims to inculcate a spirit of patriotism among the younger generation. Sacrifices made by our freedom fighters will be highlighted and tributes will be paid to them, Dhankar said.

While Dhankar said thousands of farmers joined the event on Sunday, Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of over 40 farmer organisations spearheading a stir against the Centre’s three farm laws, said they will not oppose the ‘yatra’.

“The proposed ‘Tiranga Yatra’ of the BJP’s Haryana unit is mainly to instigate farmers and defame them. SKM urged farmers to see through this devious plan of BJP, and to not let this dirty tactic, under the guise of the national flag, succeed,” it said in the statement.

Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj India president and key SKM leader called the Yatra a ploy. “Keeping this ploy in view, SKM has decided that we will not oppose the Tiranga Yatra. However, other programmes of boycott of BJP-JJP will continue as before. The BJP, which has been completely rejected by the people, won’t be able to defame farmers’ agitation by taking support of this ‘Tiranga Yatra’,” he said.