Published 13:00 IST, February 16th 2021
Protesting farmers plan Haryana mahapanchayats; Chaduni wants BJP's campaign vandalised
After Punjab, BJP may have to face the ire of the agitating farmers of Haryana as they have organised 4 Mahapanchayats to voice their opinion against farm laws
Advertisement
As the farmers continue to protest against the Centre's 3 contentious farm bills, after Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have to face the ire of the agitating farmers of Haryana as they have organised 4 big Mahapanchayats in the state to voice their concerns against the new farm laws.
While addressing a Mahapanchayat on Sunday, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) unit leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni urged the farmers to repeat "Karnal vandalism", in which the saffron party's stage was ransacked by the protestors while the party was campaigning for Panchayat polls. The BKU leader said, "Elections are also due in Haryana. When they [BJP] come for rallies, seeking votes and campaigning in the villages, remember the sacrifices made by the farmers ...as you did with Khattar Sahab in Karnal."
Protesting farmers call for repeat of Karnal vandalism against BJP
Slamming the Union government and Haryana Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal for making a mockery of the farmers' deaths during the protest, Gurnam Singh Chaduni said that the farmers were fighting to save their livelihoods. "We are sitting on the roads to save our employment. Around 250 people have sacrificed their lives during the protests. The Prime Minister is least concerned about the farmer deaths," he added.
Speaking about the three contentious farm laws, Chaduni said that these laws will "lock the food of the country in a select godown owned by a few people who will buy their produce at throwaway prices which means the growers and buyers both will cry." Alleging that the country's agriculture sector is likely to be acquired by corporates, Chaduni said that the corporates will capture the employment being provided to 65 per cent of people which includes farmers, labourers and traders.
The farmer unions have now changed their strategy and are organising Kisan mahapanchayats in Punjab and Haryana. They have now announced that the mahapanchayats will also be organised in other states including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Earlier Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had slammed Rakesh Tikait for misguiding the farmers in the name of the protest and had advised him to stick to his state, that is Uttar Pradesh. It is important to note that on January 10, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was compelled to cancel his Kisan mahapanchayat when the protesters stormed the venue in Karnal.
Updated 13:00 IST, February 16th 2021