SAD kicks off poll campaign from Zira as farmers protest

Ferozepur, August 18

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SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today kicked off the party’s campaign, ‘100 days, 100 constituencies’, for the next Assembly elections from the Zira segment.

He promised the SAD would implement the recently announced 13-point programme in the same manner it implemented earlier commitments in the previous tenure.

On Day 1 of the campaign, Sukhbir addressed 12 public gatherings during his whirlwind tour of Zira. He reiterated that the SAD- BSP alliance was committed to giving relief to farmers and Rs 2,000 per month to woman heads of all families having blue cards, making diesel cheaper by Rs 10 per litre for agricultural purposes, besides 400 units of free power to all domestic consumers and 75 per cent reservation in jobs for Punjabis in the industrial sector.

Won’t let leaders enter villages

All political parties are fighting for their benefit only, not for farmers. No party leaders will be allowed to enter the villages to ask for votes. —Lakhwinder Singh, Farmer leader

Sukhbir interacted with doctors, CAs, lawyers, businessmen among others during his public gatherings to seek their feedback on what the next government should do to resolve all their pending issues. Earlier, the SAD president was shown “black flags” by farmers owing allegiance to the BKU (Krantikari) and Kisan Majdoor Sangharsh Committee while he was going to Bhadana village in Zira sub-division.

Heavy police force was deployed to avert any untoward incident. However, as soon as Sukhbir’s caravan entered Zira, protesters started raisings slogans and even tried to stop the caravan. Meanwhile, farmer leaders Lakhwinder Singh, Baldev Singh and Kuldeep Singh said they had come to express their resentment in a peaceful manner. — OC