Farmers turn heat on state BJP leaders

Tribune News Service

Sangrur/bathinda, October 14

Members of various farm organisations today kept senior BJP leaders confined to a private school for three hours and broke two police barricades to reach the spot where the leaders had organised a virtual meeting of Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary with some farmers of the area.

“We gheraoed BJP leaders during their meeting for the second time. We will not allow them to organise any meeting in the future till they roll back the farm laws. The leaders passed the black laws but now, they want to fool farmers by giving excuses,” said Chhaju Singh, a protesting farmer.

Don’t fool us

The BJP government at the Centre passed the black laws but now, its leaders want to fool farmers by giving excuses. —Chhaju Singh, Farmer

After getting information about the virtual meeting at the local sarvhitkari school, hundreds of members of the Kirti Kisan Union, Punjab Kisan Union, Kul Hind Kisan Sabha (Ajay Bhawan), Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, BKU (Sidhupur), BKU (Rajewal) and Kul Hind Kisan Federation reached at the front gate of the school by breaking two barricades. “Since various farm organisations have already announced opposing the meetings of BJP leaders, the latter should not test our patience by holding these,” Bhupinder Singh, state convener of the youth wing of the Kirti Kisan Union, said. BJP district president Randeep Deol alleged the police did not stop protesters from reaching the spot.

“We remained confined to the school till 3 pm as the cops did not stop farmers from reaching the venue of our meeting. It shows that policemen are helping farmers,” Deol alleged. Tarun Chugh, BJP national general secretary, alleged some persons wanted to turn farmers’ agitation violent to defame them. Sangrur DSP (Rural) Satpal Sharma said they had deputed adequate number of police officials and the situation was under control.

Meanwhile, alleging that the police had been helping BJP leaders in organising the meetings, members of various farm organisations refused to attend a gathering called by the police in the evening. They demanded action against the police officers who “were helping the BJP”.

Meanwhile, members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Ekta Ugrahan) gheraoed residences of BJP leaders from noon to 3 pm in Bathinda district. A large number of BKU members staged a protest outside the residences of BJP Bathinda president Vinod Kumar Binta in Bhucho Mandi and Rampura Municipal Council vice-president Makhan Jindal in the district.

‘Waive debt’

In Bathinda, the protesters demanded that debts incurred by poor farmers and labourers should be waived. Crop rates should be fixed on C2 formula along with 50 per cent profit for farmers at remunerative prices, they said

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