Talks with farmers: Govt accused of trying to weaken stir

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 21

The state government seems to be indulging in politics in inviting farmers’ organisations for talks on June 30 with an aim to weaken their agitation.

While it yesterday invited Rattan Mann, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Mann faction), for talks with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar in Chandigarh on June 30, it is yet to call the BKU faction led by Gurnam Singh Charuni. In fact, the BJP is facing charges of adopting the ‘divide and rule” policy in view of invitation to select farmers’ organisations. “The BJP government is holding talks with a faction of farmers to create confusion among them and weaken their agitation. It is the party’s favourite policy. The BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra have already resorted to such tactics in a bid to weaken the farmers’ agitations,” alleged Charuni, BKU Haryana president and core committee member of the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh that is spearheading the pan-India agitation.

The selective invite to a section of agitating farmers is surprising as the BKU (Charuni) was in the forefront in blocking highways across Haryana on June 16. It is being seen in the context of politicking over farmers’ protests, as opposition parties Congress and INLD have also organised protests.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister today termed as meaningless the agitation for farmers by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He said the state government was doing its best for the farmers. Dhankar stated this while interacting with mediapersons in New Delhi after returning from a visit to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.