Farmers await relief, threaten to boycott BJP in LS elections

Tribune News Service

Ambala, March 19

A group of farmers, who had suffered crop loss due to unwanted rainfall and hailstorm in October, has threatened to boycott the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as they are yet to get the compensation for their losses.

They have been on an indefinite dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Ambala City. They have also decided to burn effigies of the Prime Minister and the Haryana Chief Minister during ‘Holika dahan’ on Wednesday and celebrate black Holi.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) city block president Sukhvinder Singh said: “We have been struggling to get the compensation since October. We are given assurances only. We are being told that they are facing some issues due to incomplete documents of farmers.”

Gulab Singh, district vice-president of the BKU, said: “Officials claimed that the process of transferring money has started and funds have already been transferred to banks. When we approached the banks, we were told that banks are yet to get the required documents of farmers.”

“The officials have now started saying that since poll code has been imposed, the process can’t be completed now. A mahapanchayat will be organised on April 2 at the grain market here. If the government failed to transfer the compensation amount by April 1, the farmers will boycott the BJP in the elections,” he said.