Farm union leaders announce protests over Punjab Govt action: ‘it’s not badlav but badle di bhavana

The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) announced a protest outside the offices of deputy commissioners in Punjab and Haryana Thursday, a day after the Punjab Police cleared the Shambhu and Khanauri border sites where farmers have been protesting, and detained two senior farm leaders.

Meanwhile, farmers who were detained Wednesday started a hunger strike in different police stations of Sangrur, Patiala, and Mohali.

The latest protest was announced by Satnam Singh Pannu, president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Committee, a constituent of KMM, early morning. Pannu said, “We chose Bhagwant Mann as he had promised badlaav ki sarkar but whatever he did on Wednesday was badle di bhavana. While meeting with farmers was going on at Chandigarh, they had started making arrangements to lift the dharnas from Shambhu and Khanauri.”

“He did this to show loyalty with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). First, you and the BJP didn’t allow farmers to enter Delhi and Chandigarh, and now we will not allow you and your party workers to enter Punjab villages.”

Sawinder Singh Sabhrahan, state general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Committee, said, “We didn’t block the highway but the Haryana Government never allowed us to move towards Delhi. They had built the walls. Once again the pro-corporate face of the AAP has been projected. We will give blessings to our arrested leaders today, and you can keep them in jail for whatever period you want. We will continue our struggle for our demands”.

On Thursday morning, the police continued to clear the protest sites at Shambu and Khanauri along the highways spread over a few kilometres.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Government pasted notices outside the houses of several farmer union leaders in the state, asking them to join the investigation regarding the pending FIRs against them, and arrested 10 to 12 farm leaders.

Tejveer Singh, spokesperson of BKU Shaheed Bhagat Singh, said, “A notice was pasted outside my house in the Panjokhra village in Ambala on Thursday morning. I am not at home. My family members are being told to send me to the police station for investigation regarding pending 3 FIRs”.

“I think Wednesday’s action was taken by the Punjab Government at the behest of the BJP and RSS. Bhagwant Mann has spoken the language of the BJP and RSS once again. In yesterday’s meeting, Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of KMM, asked Punjab Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak about the movement of the police at the borders but he said it was a routine exercise. Later, they arrested them and demolished structures at Shambhu and Khanauri. They also detained hundreds of farmers. It was backstabbing and nothing else. Sab yaad rakha jayega (We be keep everything in mind),” Singh added.

In a statement Wednesday, the SKM strongly condemned the Punjab Government’s move to arrest several SKM (NP) and KMM leaders, including Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, soon after they entered the state after finishing their talks with the Centre in Chandigarh.

“The AAP Government in Punjab has shown that it is committed to enforcing corporate and MNC frameworks in agriculture, and it is for this that it is collaborating and cooperating with the RSS and the BJP at the Centre. It is rather sinister that this move has come after top leaders met industrialists on Tuesday,” said the statement.

“The strong-arm tactics against the peaceful struggle of farmers proves that the Union Government is not in favour of a resolution of the key livelihood and survival issues raised by all farmers of India,” it added.