AAP protest against farm laws at Jantar Mantar tomorrow

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, October 10

Aam Aadmi Party Punjab president and Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said AAP MLAs, office-bearers and a large number of volunteers in tandem with Delhi government ministers, MLAs would stage a ‘dharna’ at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on October 12, in support of the protesting farmers waging a battle for survival, by seeking annulment of the anti-farmer and pro-corporate farm Bills, a brainchild of the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.

He said: “If the country’s ‘annadata’ was not protected against the controversial black laws at this point in time, it would prove a death knell for a large number of ‘arhtiyas’, book-keepers, transporters, small shopkeepers, mandi labourers and other sections dependent on agriculture.” He called upon one and all to rise above political and other considerations and raise a pitch against the implementation of the laws, saying that the move would impinge upon the rights of states giving a free hand to the corporate honchos to have their way to ‘loot’ poor farmers.

Mann accused Badals and Captain of dancing to the Modi government’s tunes, by playing a pivotal role in facilitating the passage of the draconian laws brought in by Modi government at the Centre He termed these laws a thought-out design to render farmers dependent on private players.

Describing gram panchayats and gram sabhas as the roots of a strong democracy in the country, Mann said while addressing a mammoth gram sabha session under the popular ‘Gram Sabha bulao, Pind bachao, Punjab Bachao’ campaign, convened by the Bihala and Naroli village panchayats in Hoshiarpur district here on Saturday, to repeal all three laws by adopting a resolution by the bona fide residents of these villages, saying the contentious laws would be detrimental for the survival of farmers and others. The resolutions against the laws were passed unanimously.

He said AAP had been raising its pitch against the black laws from day one, saying that it would continue to extend its whole-hearted support to farmers and various farm organisations by holding ‘Jan Sabhas’ in every village across the state, apprising people about the disastrous outcome of the draconian law, if implemented.

He called upon every panchayat to immediately convene gram sabhas in their respective villages immediately, so that Centre’s move to implement the three anti-farmer and anti-people farm laws by force could be thwarted, which, he said, was imperative to save the ‘annadata’ from perishing.

Hitting out at Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Mann said he played a pawn to the Modi-government in clearing the passage for anti-farmers laws aimed at demolishing the federal structure of the country. Now, he was shedding crocodile tears by holding pseudo rallies across the state to win some political brownie points and save his skin, he said.

“What to speak of buying justice to the beleaguered farming community, he was dragging his feet on convening a special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha to abrogate the black laws. What can be more unfortunate than his stubbornness on the sensitive issue of farmers that AAP had to stage a ‘dharna’ outside the Assembly on Friday urging him to convene the special session,” he said.

Masks, social distancing nowhere to be seen

During the meeting, Covid protection norms like wearing of masks and 6-feet distance, were widely violated. Neither Bhagwant Mann was seen wearing a mask while addressing the meeting nor did most of the leaders seemed bothered about it. Similarly, most of the people present in the meeting were not wearing masks and practicing social distancing. There was not even a distance of 6 inches to say the least.