BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) refuses to attend meeting called by Punjab govt today
Farm union leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan terms attending meeting ‘untenable’, citing detention of farmers and confiscation of tractor-trolleys at Shambhu and Khanauri.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), which has a significant base in south Punjab, will not be participating in the meeting convened by the Punjab government in Chandigarh on Friday, citing the detention of hundreds of farmers and the alleged confiscation of their tractor-trolleys at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) Joginder Singh Ugrahan announced the decision in a video shared on social media.
The move follows a series of detentions on March 19 at the Khanauri and Shambhu borders with Haryana shortly after a meeting with a central team, led by agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan. Farmer leaders, who protested outside offices of deputy commissioners across Punjab on Thursday, were also detained, with some reportedly jailed and others later released.
Ugrahan condemned the Punjab government’s actions, accusing it of detaining farmers “on false pretexts” and seizing their tractors and trolleys. He criticised chief minister Bhagwant Mann for abruptly leaving the meeting on March 3, emphasising the need for a dialogue to resolve agricultural issues.
“In an atmosphere where farmers are being detained after false assurances, and their belongings are being confiscated, participation in any meeting is untenable,” Ugrahan said.
“We want matters resolved through dialogue, but the chief minister must not evade discussions. The release of the detained farmers and the return of their confiscated property are preconditions for any meaningful engagement,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) has submitted a programme for the protest scheduled for March 26, demanding a designated location for the demonstration.
Ugrahan said his union was open to talks with the state government, provided the detained farmers were released and their belongings returned.
According to a letter of the Punjab agriculture director, the meeting is proposed to be held with agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh at 4pm on Friday. Besides the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) had been invited for the meeting. The SKM and the BKU (Ugrahan) were not part of the farmers’ protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points. Those protests were spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.
