On warpath, farmers refuse to budge

Tribune News Service

Patiala/Muktsar, September 17

Demanding a complete debt waiver from the state government and a rollback of the farm Bills introduced by the Centre, hundreds of farmers today marked the fourth day of protest by taking out a march on tempos, buses, tractor-trailers and two-wheelers.

The farmers continued their dharna at the PUDA grounds here. They raised slogans against the Central and state governments for their “anti-farmer” policies and “failure in addressing genuine issues of the farming community”.

Cops foil AAP bid to protest in Badal village

Muktsar: AAP activists, who took out a tractor march on Thursday, were not allowed to enter Badal village by the police. Hence, they lodged a protest against the Centre’s farm Bills on the outskirts of Kaljharani and Badal villages in Bathinda and Muktsar districts, respectively. TNS

The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) held a protest march, blocking traffic in the city. “We were deceived by both state and Central Governments. They have left us with no option but to organise protests across the country,” said senior farmer leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan.

A leader of protesting farmers said the Central Government was hell-bent to hand over the entire farming sector to big multi-national chains, which would eventually destroy shopkeepers, arhtiyas and farmers.

Meanwhile, even though Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today resigned as a Union Minister, farmers protesting near her Badal village residence termed it a “drama” and said their six-day protest would continue till September 20.

Speaking over the phone, Shingara Singh Mann, state secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), said, “The SAD has taken this step just to befool farmers. Our protest will not just continue outside the residence of Badals, we will also intensify it. She (Harsimrat) has just resigned as a Union Minister, but the SAD will continue its support to the BJP-led NDA. We will consider them our sympathisers only when they quit the NDA and take back their support from the Modi government. Nothing has changed with her resignation at this moment.”