Post-rabi season, Malwa farmers donate generously for stir against farm laws

Sukhmeet Bhasin

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Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 23

After harvesting and selling their rabi crop, the farmers in Malwa region are donating generously to the farmer unions to support the ongoing stir against the three contentious farm laws.

In Mansa district alone, farmers have donated more than Rs 50 lakhs to BKU Ekta Ugrhan organization. District president of the union, Ram Singh Bhainibagha said, since the protest began BKU Ugrahan has spent around Rs 25 crores for the agitation.

He said that in village Bhainibagha Rs 11 lakh has been collected while the farmers of village Joga have collected Rs 6.5 lakh. Similarly, village Akalia collected Rs 6 lakh, Farwahi Rs 3 lakh, Jawaharke Rs 4 lakh, Rar Rs 4.5 lakh, Bachhuana Rs 12 lakh, Kishangarh Rs 7 lakh, Verahe Rs 5.5 lakh per and Bahadurpur Rs 6 lakh so far.

Apart from this, farmers from other villages have also given funds to the union. He also said that the organization collects funds from the farmers every six months and this time they have donated money generously.

The donation has been generous despite low wheat yield during this season. Even families who did not have money, donated their wheat produce to the agitating farmers, the unions claimed.

The BKU (Ugrahan) leaders have been routinely collecting wheat, paddy and money after every six months to generate funds for the organisation. Apart from collecting cash, they sell collected wheat under the supervision of the village committee and deposit the funds in a bank.

Farmers, according to unions,  have also donated funds in large amount to other farm unions Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Dakonda), Punjab Kisan Union, Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal), Bharti Kisan Union (Qadian), Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur), Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewala), Bharti Kisan Union (Mansa) and others as well.