Farmer leaders hint at taking political plunge

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 19

Thousands of farmers and labourers, under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), organised a sit-in at Kala Bakra village in Bhogpur on Sunday. Senior leader of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Haryana, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, Lakha Sadana and others remained present at the SKM meet. The dharna began at 12 noon and was lifted at 5 pm.

Senior farm leaders, including the youth wing of the farm unions, associated with the SKM, decided the plan of action ahead of the first anniversary of the farmers’ protest at Delhi borders. During the protest today, the agitators also framed new action report to be adopted ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

Notably, the farmer leaders also hinted at contesting elections and forming a new party. “While we are not sure of forming a new party, considering the support by the farmer groups, daily wage workers, villagers and supporters of the farmers’ protest, we can think of forming a ‘near party’, for the farmers, by the farmers. Besides, everyone was asked to exercise his or her voting right to elect the right candidate, added, Gurpreet Atwal, a BKU Doaba member.

He further said, currently the ruling governments had failed to take any action in support of the farmers. People across the state have been participating in the protest, for the past 10 months, just to raise one concern — to abolish the three contentious farm laws — but nothing has been done so far. Over 600 farmers, including the young boys, have lost their lives in the farmers’ stir, hence we wouldn’t let their sacrifice go waste. In the five-hour long protest-cum-meet, the farmer leaders also motivated the masses to keep on participating in the protest, till their demands were met.