Farmers to court arrest on Aug 9

Kuldip Bhatia

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Ludhiana, August 4

The Bharti Kisan Union-Kadian (BKU) has decided to intensify the agitation in the favour of the pending demands of farmers.

The demands include total remission of farm debts, implementation of Swaminathan Committee report for remunerative prices of the farm produce, keeping agriculture out of the purview of the GST and review of the ban on stubble burning imposed by the National Green Tribunal.

Led by BKU activists, farmers will court arrest at the district headquarters on August 9. This was stated by Harmeet Singh Kadian, president, and Gurmeet Singh Golewal, Secretary General of the BKU, after a meeting at Gurdwara Sarabha Nagar here today.

Kadian said in the wake of the apathy and indifference on the part of the Centre and the state government towards the farming community, the financially-stressed farmers were left with no choice than to launch a mass agitation.

He said the protesting farmers would raise the demand for the payment of compensation for the disposal of residual waste of crops and finding a permanent solution to the problem of stray cattle.

The BKU took a strong exception to photographs of defaulting farmers being displayed at some banks in a bid to humiliate the crisis-ridden farmers while sounding a note of warning to the banks to desist from such activities till the issue of remission of agricultural loans was settled or be prepared to face the consequences.

State committee members Kuldeep Singh, Buta Singh (Fazilka), district presidents Maghar Singh (Bathinda), Budh Ram Bishnoi (Fazilka), Jagdev Singh Kaniawali (Muktsar), Jaspinder Singh (Faridkot), Kuldeep Singh Loharmajra (Fatehgarh Sahib), Amrik Singh (Jalandhar), Jasvir Singh Littan (Kapurthala), Nirmal Singh Manuke (Moga), Gurnam Singh Jassra (Ropar), Bhupinder Singh Banbaura (Sangrur), Sukhpal Singh Buttar (Ferozepur), Swarn Singh Dhugga (Hoshiarpur), Jarnail Singh Satteeke (Mansa) and Dilbagh Singh (Tarntaran) also addressed the meeting.