Mansa villages bar leaders’ entry

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 6

With political parties intensifying activities ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, farmers in the Malwa region have put up boycott banners outside villages to protest against the leaders.

Farmers of Mansa Khurd village in the district have put up boycott banners under the banner of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) at the entry points so that no leader or worker of any political party visits the area. They have also written that no political banner or wall painting will be allowed in the village till the “black” farm laws are not repealed.

Ram Singh Bhianibagha, Mansa district president, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), said: “People are angry with the parties as the farm agitation is going on at Delhi borders, but leaders are playing vote bank politics for the 2022 elections due to which we have decided to boycott them.”

Meanwhile, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) state secretary Shingara Singh Mann said: “People are angry over the working of all political parties. Our organisation has not issued any specific directions but there is a complete ban on the entry of BJP leaders in the villages.”

Earlier, residents of several Bathinda villages had put up boards barring the entry of political leaders until the three laws are repealed.

A BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) leader said: “In many villages, residents have unanimously decided to rise above the party lines and ban the entry of all political leaders.” They have also decided to bar anyone indulging in the election campaign from entering their village, saying political parties have done little on the ground level to safeguard the interest of farmers.

Abohar Farmers gherao BJP leaders’ offices

Abohar: BKU activists on Tuesday gheraoed the Circular Road offices of former BJP legislator Dr Ram Kumar Goyal and his son Shivraj Goyal (ex-president of the Municipal Council), who had organised a rally of OBCs at Chuhariwala Dhanna village to sound bugle for the next year elections. Farmers also gheraoed a neighbouring premises after learning that BJP workers were celebrating the birthday of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the founder of Jansangh. A heavy police force was deployed to ensure the law and order. The BKU said the BJP wouldn’t be allowed to hold events until the farm laws were scrapped. OC