In Punjab, handsome donations to sustain stir

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 23

After harvesting and selling their rabi crop, farmers are donating generously to their unions in the Malwa region. They have donated over Rs 50 lakh to the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) in Mansa district alone.

BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) district president Ram Singh Bhainibagha claimed their union spent over Rs 25 crore in the past 11 months since the farmers’ protest began. He said the union collected funds from farmers every six months and the collection this time had been several times more than earlier collections. “My fellow villagers from Bhainibagha have collected Rs 11 lakh this time, while Bachhuana villagers have collected Rs 12 lakh. The collection from Kishangarh village is Rs 7 lakh, Joga village Rs 6.5 lakh, Bahadurpur village Rs 6 lakh, Akalia village Rs 6 lakh, Verahe village Rs 5.5 lakh, Rar village Rs 4.5 lakh, Jawaharke village Rs 4 lakh and Farwahi village Rs 3 lakh,” he said. “Farmers from other villages have also given funds to the union. They are ready to contribute as much money as required, but want us to return only after winning the Delhi morcha,” he said. The families that could not contribute money had given wheat to support the agitation, he added.

Union leaders collect wheat, paddy and money after every six months to generate funds. They then sell the collected crops and deposit the money in the union’s bank account.

Farmers have also donated generously to the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Dakonda), Punjab Kisan Union, Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal), Bharti Kisan Union (Qadian), Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur), Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewala), Bharti Kisan Union (Mansa) and others.