Amid written complaints to the chief electoral officer regarding farmers not stopping from protesting at rallies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates during canvassing for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, the president of the state unit, Sunil Jakhar, today said that ‘kangaroo courts by farmer unions are a sure sign of a failed AAP leadership’.
“Punjab is reeling under a crisis of a collapsed leadership with a non-serious Chief Minister. Bhagwant Mann is squarely responsible for ‘kangaroo courts’ in the state. There are farmer unions that have become law unto themselves. Their vigilantism is rupturing ties between farmers, traders and others.”
Talking to The Tribune correspondent, general secretary of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said, “We are not stopping rallies being organised on a call by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM). These are being held in other states as well. A major protest is scheduled for May 26 at Barnala, called the ‘Lok Sangram’, in which farmers, labourers, employees and students are expected to take part.” Expressing apprehension about the security of party candidates, Jakhar had led a delegation to meet the Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C on May 6 and lodged a complaint. Sibin had said that he had received the complaint and had ‘directed the offices of deputy commissioners and SSPs for the desired action’. He had also asked the farmers’ groups to refrain from disrupting campaigns of BJP candidates.
The saffron party had been facing the protests from the farmers, right after the announcement of the elections. Amritsar candidate Taranjit Singh Sandhu Samundri last evening faced farmers’ slogans at Bhindi Saidan village near Rajasansi. Patiala candidate Preneet Kaur also had to face farmers’ protest during campaigning, including the incident on May 14 when cops had to intervene after a turban of a farmer fell off. Similar protests have been witnessed by Ravneet Bittu at villages in Jagroan areas of Ludhiana and Sushil Kumar Rinku, party’s Jalandhar candidate, in Nurmahal, Kartarpur, Shahkot and Phillaur areas. Gurdaspur candidate Dinesh Babbu, in fact, has stopped campaigning in the rural areas more than a month back. Faridkot candidate Hans Raj Hans too has faced big difficulty throughout canvassing.
At Phulo Mitti village of Bathinda district, Gurpreet Singh Maluka, husband of BJP candidate Parampal Kaur, had to face oppositon by the farmers today. He had come to address a public meeting in favour of his wife when the farmers started protesting.
24 farmers taken into custody
More than 24 farmers and union leaders were taken into preventive custody on Thursday when they were trying to disrupt the canvassing of BJP candidate Hans Raj Hans at Bhilewala village in Faridkot district. The police have not registered any case against the protesters. Police sources said they had been detained only for preventing any clash.
