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Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Dakaunda) splits, union chief, gen secy expelled
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Dakaunda) witnessed a division after a rival faction announced to expel state president Buta Singh Burjgill and general secretary Jagmohan Singh Patiala for alleged financial irregularities and acting in violation of the union’s interests.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Dakaunda) witnessed a division after a rival faction announced to expel state president Buta Singh Burjgill and general secretary Jagmohan Singh Patiala for alleged financial irregularities and acting in violation of the union’s interests.
It is the second farmer union after BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) to witness a split since Saturday.
At a general council meeting called at a gurdwara in Bathinda, the rival group led by Manjit Singh Dhaner and Harnek Singh Mehma charged Burjgill and Patiala for acting in collusion with the central agencies during the farmer agitation.
The council passed a resolution unanimously to appoint Dhaner and Mehma as the new president and general secretary, respectively before revoking the recent dismissal of seven union leaders.
Dhaner, who was convicted in a murder case in 2001, was pardoned by the then Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore in November 2019.
Before a remission during the then Congress regime, Dhaner’s life sentence was upheld twice by the Supreme Court. But the state authorities succumbed to the pressure of farmer unions, who laid siege to the Barnala sub-jail for about one-and-a-half month demanding pardon for Dhaner.
Dhaner and Mehma said the union would go ahead with the demand of releasing Sikh radicals from jails.
He said Burjgill was a votary of contesting elections against the popular sentiment of the union volunteers.
Mehma said Burjgill held secret talks with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) ministers in the union government and officials of the intelligence agencies without taking the union leadership on board.
“When asked for accountability on various issues, Burjgill and his group started taking punitive actions against union leaders,” said Mehma.
Meanwhile, Burjgill termed Tuesday’s general council meeting unconstitutional.
“Dhaner and six others were expelled by the state executive in the last few days for anti-union activities. They have no mandate to hold such meetings. In fact, a group of ultra-Left-leaning activists colluded to take control of the apolitical union,” said Burjgill on Tuesday evening.
He rubbished charges of acting against the union and misappropriation of funds.
“Voices were raised only when we started taking disciplinary action against those trying to make BKU Dakaunda a wing of the Left front. There is no truth in the accusations,” said Burjgill, who claims to enjoy the support of the majority in the union.
