But for one, Punjab CM Channi accepts farmers’ demands

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 17

Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi today held meetings with the leaders of 32 farmers’ unions and the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and acceded to a majority of their demands (barring the agri-loan waiver).

The key demands accepted by the CM included cancellation of FIRs against farmers for stubble burning and protesting against farm laws, enhancing the compensation for pink bollworm-hit cotton growers, expediting payment to paddy growers whose land records have not been uploaded online and granting jobs to the heirs of farmers who died during the ongoing agitation.

“We have agreed to their demands. They were fully satisfied… I even thanked them for waging such a long struggle for the sake of Punjab’s future,” the CM said. With this, Channi seems to have staked his claim as a leader of the farmers—one of the biggest vote banks in the state.

By categorically stating that his government was even willing to resign to support farmers against farm laws, Channi has tried to woo and wean them away from gravitating towards his predecessor, Capt Amarinder Singh.

Interestingly, after some union leaders felt slighted at being pushed around by the CM’s security before the start of their meeting, not only Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha, but the CM also went out and apologised to them.

Later, when union leaders were asked whether Capt Amarinder Singh was trying to resolve their issue, they said, “We won’t let anyone from outside take credit.”

Leaders of all these unions led by Balbir Singh Rajewal and Buta Singh Burzgill said they were satisfied with the favourable response they got from the CM.

“We had demanded a compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for the pink bollworm-hit farmers, the CM enhanced it from Rs 12,000 to Rs 17,000 per acre. He agreed to withdraw all FIRs registered against farmers. He has also agreed to increase compensation for land acquisition; giving farmers Rs 360 per quintal for cane… He assured of ending DAP shortage and granting jobs to kin of all protesters who died during the farm struggle,” they said. Burzgill said the only pending issue was that of loan waiver, which the Congress had promised before the last elections. “The issue will be discussed with the CM at the next meeting,” he said.

Sukhbir: Congress misleading unions

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to tell farmers why the Congress party had hoodwinked them for the last nearly five years of its rule if it did not have any intention to waive their loans as promised during the last Assembly elections.