Big corporations face heat as farmers continue protests at malls, toll plazas, petrol pumps

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 2

The big corporate houses are facing the heat as farmers, under the banner of the BKU Ekta Ugrahan, are continuing their indefinite protests at rail tracks, toll plazas, shopping malls, petrol pumps and a private thermal plant across the state for the second day.

The protesting farmers are also not allowing toll plaza officials to collect toll plaza money from commuters. The traffic is now passing freely where the protest is going on.

Farmer leader Jhanda Singh Jethuke said they were not allowing companies workers to cut receipt of the toll plazas and commuters are passing for free.

Agitating farmers are staging ‘Rail Roko’ protests at railway tracks at four points at Sunam in Sangrur, Dhablan in Patiala, Budhlada in Mansa and Gidderbaha in Muktsar district.

The farmers are also protesting outside the residences of three BJP leaders Bikramjit Singh Cheema in Payal, Sunita Garg in Kotkapura and MLA Arun Narang in Abohar in the state. Farmers cancelled a protest outside the residence of BJP leader Satwant Singh Punia in Sangrur as a close relative of the BJP leader died recently.

Farmers under the banner of BKU Ekta Ugrahan are also staging a protest at five toll plazas — Kalajhar Toll Plaza at Sanguru, Badbar toll plaza in Barnala, Lehra Bega toll plaza in Bathinda, Jeeda toll plaza in Bathinda and Kathunagal toll plaza in Gurdaspur.

Apart from this, farmers are staging protests at three shopping malls as well. They are protesting outside Best Price in Bucho in Bathinda, Reliance Mall in Bathinda and Reliance Mall in Rokha in Amritsar.

Besides staging protests at two silos of the Adani group at Moga and Sangrur, farmers are also protesting at 15 Reliance petrol pumps at Dhanula in Barnala, Sanghera in Barnala, Patiala, Dhuri in Barnala, Dirba in Sangrur, Bhawanigarh in Sangrur, Malerkotla in Sangrur, Ahmedgarh in Sangrur, Lehra in Sangrur, Kheri on Sangrur-Dirba road, Kulara on Sunam-Sangrur road, Rampura in Bathinda, Lehrabega In Bathinda, Jalalabad in Fazilka, Vallor in Ferozepur.

Protests are also happening at three SR petrol pumps at Dhaula in Barnala, Bhotna in Barnala and In Patiala.  They are also staging a protest at Talwandi Sabo private Thermal Plant at Baniwala in Mansa district.

Jhanda Singh Jethuke, senior vice president BKU Ekta Ugrahan said: “They are staging protest against the three contentious bills – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.”

He said these bills had been passed to benefit the big corporations such as Ambani and Adani groups, due to which we want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to see this is just the trailer, if he implemented these bills in Punjab, then their protest would intensify.

Another leader Shingara Singh Mann, state secretary of BKU Ekta Ugrahan said: “Apart from staging protests on railway tracks, we are staging protests at toll plazas, private petrol pumps, shopping malls and many other places across the state.”

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