Protest in Dallewal village over MLA's cancelled visit
A controversy erupted in Dallewal village of Faridkot district on Wednesday after AAP MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon cancelled his scheduled visit due to opposition by farm union leaders.
Sekhon was to inaugurate development works at Government High School in Dallewal, the village of senior farm union leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, but he stayed away following resistance from farmers.
In response to Sekhon’s absence, a large group of Dalit community members, mostly women, staged a protest outside the school. They alleged that the opposition to Sekhon’s visit by upper-caste farmers was a form of caste-based discrimination, as a majority of the school’s students belonged to the Dalit community. They accused farm leaders of obstructing the much-needed development in the village under the pretext of political opposition.
Meanwhile, farm union leaders claimed that their protest was not aimed at the school or the Dalit community, but was part of a statewide campaign to question AAP MLAs and ministers over unresolved issues. These include the alleged theft of tractor-trailers and personal belongings at Shambhu and Khanauri borders during the farmers' agitation and the detention of farmer leaders.
Dallewal accused AAP leaders of avoiding public accountability and failing to fulfill pre-election promises. He alleged the use of force and intimidation against those who question the government, citing incidents of hired goons at protest sites.
Farmers in the village accused the AAP leaders of trying to create caste-based divisions to weaken the farmers' movement. We only intended to question the MLA during his visit, but Sekhon avoided the interaction by not showing up, alleged the farmers.
MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon clarified that he welcomed farmers' questions and had already requested a list of stolen items to proceed in the matter. He said he chose to cancel his visit to avoid conflict and tension in the village. He said he himself was a farmer and understood their every pain.
