Farmers ransack BJP gathering celebrating former PM's birth anniversary in Bathinda

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, December 25

Farmers in large numbers ransacked the place where BJP workers were celebrating the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday at Amrik Singh road in Bathinda.

As farmers reached the spot, the BJP workers could be seen running away from the spot in a video which is going viral on social media.

The farmers allegedly broke chairs and even pelted stones at the event. Police reached the spot and had to use mild force to disperse the mob.

Later, the farmers sat on a dharna and protest was still going on.

BJP workers who had come to celebrate the birth anniversary sat on a parallel dharna but dispersed in a few minutes.

BKU Ekta Ugrahan district senior vice president Mothu Singh Kotra said: "We come to know BJP was today celebrating something here, whereas farmers are protesting in cold in the open in Delhi against the three farm bill and they are celebrating, so we reached here".

He also said that they got to know that BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal was reaching here at the function and decided to not allow BjP to hold function here.

The farmers' union leader also said, "we have decided that till these farm bills are not taken back, we will not allow BJP to hold any function in the Punjab".

BJP Bathinda president Vinod Kumar Binta said: "We were holding an event peacefully to celebrate the birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but some people came and ransacked the chairs and spoiled their event."

BJP leaders also burnt the effigy of the state government in the city later.

City residents come out in support of the farmers and distributed Amritsari naan along with cholley and water bottles to the agitating farmers.

Apart from this, Satnam Singh of Punjab Taxi Union announced that they would provide vehicles to the farmers wishing to go to protest in Delhi only accounting for petrol costs and they would not charge than any rent.

'Complete breakdown of law and order'

The Bharatiya Janata Party said on Friday that there was complete anarchy in Punjab, that law and order was “is in hands of goons” and police had been rendered “a silent and helpless onlooker”.

Tarun Chugh, BJP’s general secretary, accused Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of “playing vicious games against the BJP” and claimed that there was “complete breakdown of law and order in Punjab”. 

“The BJP workers are being assaulted, attacks were engineered on me and Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma, BJP offices were set on fire. Punjab is moving in the direction of becoming like West Bengal,” said Chugh in a letter he wrote to Governor VP Singh Badnore.

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