Farm unions to relaunch statewide stir

Tribune News Service

Moga, February 23

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta), Kirti Kisan Union and allied farm unions have decided to relaunch a statewide agitation against the state government for having failed to completely waive farm loans.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of at least seven farm unions at Naushera Pannua in Tarn Taran district today.

Nirbahi Singh Dhudike, president of the Kirti Kisan Union, who presided over the meeting, said protest rallies would be held at Bhawanigarh on March 6, Moga on March 7, Jalandhar on March 8 and Chandigarh on April 3 in support of a total waiver of farm loans.

Statewide protests were held by the farm unions from January 22 to 26.

In today’s meeting, senior activists of farm unions rejected the state government’s partial debt waiver scheme and demanded full waiver of farm loans.

They said Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had betrayed the farming community by partially waiving the farm loans. “Amarinder has failed to fulfil the promises made with the farmers during the 2017 Assembly poll campaign,” he said.

“If Amarinder is serious on the issue of farmers’ suicides, he must announce a budgetary provision for waiver of farm loans in the annual budget (planned expenditure) for 2018-19 in the coming Budget Session of the state Assembly,” said a farm activist.