Faridkot, April 12
BJP candidate Hans Raj Hans faced farmers’ protest in Faridkot on Friday. He was in town to take a meeting with party leaders and workers.
Minutes before Hans reached the venue, a private hotel, to take the meeting, members of various farmer unions assembled in front of the hotel to show him black flags and raise slogans against the BJP.
Heavy police force was already deployed to control the farmers and avoid any physical confrontation between the farmers and BJP leaders and workers. Protesting farmers’ leaders claimed they have no personal grudge against Hans Raj Hans but their protest was against the BJP.
“The BJP government erected the fencing and cement blocks on the edges of the city to block farmers’ peaceful march towards Delhi,” said Gurmeet Singh, senior vice-president of BKU (Kadian).
Hans Raj Hans said that he was fielded from Faridkot seat by the BJP to address farmers’ problems. I have invited farmer unions’ leaders to discuss their demands. But blocking my entry to villages is not the right way to resolve problems, he said. Any person can check my track record and standing on farmers’ issue. I have always stood with the farmers and would continue to do so, he claimed.
Hans was elated with Parampal Kaur Sidhu, IAS officer and daughter-in-law of Akali leader Sikander Singh Maluka, joining the BJP. As Rampura Phul Assembly segment in Bathinda district is known as an old citadel of Maluka family and this Assembly segment is part of Faridkot Lok Sabha seat, Hans and his supporters in Faridkot believe that Maluka family’s influence in Rampura Phul would sway a good number of votes in their favour.
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