BKU Doaba to join morcha protest with 5K activists

In a decisive move, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Doaba has announced its full-fledged participation in the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) protest at Kukarpind village, Jalandhar, on August 20 with 5,000 activists accompanied with tractors/trailers. The BKU will also hold a motorcycle rally from Bhullarai village on August 11 against the Punjab Government’s land pooling policy.

Besides, the union issued a stern warning that if Rs 35 crore pending dues from Golden Sandhar Sugar Mill, Phagwara, were not cleared, it would announce a fresh statewide agitation.

Major decisions were taken during a state-level meeting of the BKU (Doaba) held at Gurdwara Sukhchaina Sahib, Phagwara, under the leadership of state president Manjit Singh Rai and state general secretary Satnam Singh Sahni on Thursday evening.

The meeting was convened to finalise the union’s participation in two significant protests and to deliberate on the continued non-payment of sugarcane arrears by the Phagwara-based sugar mill.

Speaking at the meeting, Manjit Singh Rai confirmed that the BKU Doaba would strongly support the KMM’s August 20 protest against the Punjab Government’s land pooling policy, which farmer groups had condemned as anti-farmer and exploitative.

Rai said over one lakh farmers from across Punjab were expected to gather at Kukarpind village. He said at least 5,000 members of the BKU Doaba, accompanied by tractors-trailers, would participate in the protest.

“In run-up to the larger protest, a motorcycle rally will be held on August 11, beginning at 11 am from Bhullarai village at a site marked under the land pooling scheme. The rally will traverse through Phagwara city, serving as a symbolic gesture of opposition and a mobilisation tool to raise awareness among the public,” Rai said.