Farmers' protest: Corporate houses bear brunt of ire

Bathinda, October 2

Big corporate houses are facing the heat as farmers under the banner of the BKU Ekta Ugrahan continued their protests on rail tracks, toll plazas, shopping malls and petrol stations across the state for the second day today.

The protesting farmers did not allow toll plaza officials to collect money from commuters. They are staging ‘rail roko’ at Sunam, Dhablan, Budhlada and Gidderbaha.

The farmers are protesting outside the residences of BJP leaders Bikramjit Singh Cheema in Payal, Sunita Garg in Kotkapura and MLA Arun Narang in Abohar. However, they cancelled a protest outside the residence of BJP leader Satwant Singh Punia in Sangrur as a close relative of the leader had died recently.

They are also staging protests at five toll plazas — Kalajhar in Sangrur, Badbar in Barnala, Lehra Bega and Jeeda in Bathinda and Kathunangal in Gurdaspur.

They are protesting outside private facilities at Bucho in Bathinda and Rokha in Amritsar. Farmers are also staging sit-ins at two silos of of a private group in Moga and Sangrur, private petrol pumps at Dhanula, Sanghera, Patiala, Dhuri, Dirba, Bhawanigarh, Malerkotla, Ahmedgarh, Lehra, Kheri, Kulara, Rampura, Lehrabega, Jalalabad and Vallor.

They staged a sit-in at private petrol pumps at Dhaula, Bhotna and Patiala, at Talwandi Sabo private thermal plant in Mansa.

Shingara Singh Mann, state secretary, BKU Ekta Ugrahan, said, “These laws have been passed to benefit big corporate houses. If these laws are implemented in Punjab, we will intensify our protest.” — TNS