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Farmer unions to protest during PM’s visit
Farmer leader Raminder, member of the National Coordination Committee of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, says a mahapanchayat will be held in Jagraon (Ludhiana) on Tuesday to decide the nature and magnitude of the protest.
Farmer unions have announced to hold protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will kick off his Punjab campaign with a mega rally in Patiala on May 23, followed by mass meetings in Jalandhar and Gurdaspur on May 24.
In a security breach in January 2022, PM Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover for nearly 30 minutes in Ferozepur due to a blockade by farmers.
“We have already conveyed to the police and district administration about our plan. We want to peacefully and democratically protest against his (PM) visit to Patiala as the BJP government has failed to fulfil the long pending demand for a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission,” said farmer leader Raminder, who is the member of the National Coordination Committee of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmer unions.
“A mahapanchayat will be held in Jagraon (Ludhiana) on Tuesday to decide the nature and magnitude of the protest,” he added. BJP candidates in Punjab and Haryana have been facing farmers’ protests during campaign. Apart from the SKM, SKM (non-political), which is spearheading the protest at Shambhu border, and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) have also decided to oppose PM’s visit.
Punjab Police have swung into action and are holding parleys with leaders of the farmer unions to persuade them to call off their protest against the PM. Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, convener of the SKM (non-political), said: “We need answers from the PM on various issues, including legal guarantee on the MSP and murder of young Bathinda farmer Shubh Karan Singh. We have not been allowed to march to Delhi to meet him. Now, he is coming to Patiala, he should meet us. If the police resort to detention of farmer leaders, we will strongly oppose it.”
Senior Punjab Police officials will hold a meeting with PM’s security team in Patiala on Tuesday.
9 designated protest sites in Jalandhar
Ahead of Modi’s rally in Jalandhar, the district administration has issued list of nine designated spots in the district for peaceful protests. “PUDA ground, Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, Burlton Park, Dussehra ground in Jalandhar Cantt, Kartarpur Improvement Trust, Bhogpur grain market, Kapurthala road, Saifawala grain market and the complex of Shahkot nagar panchayat are the designated protest sites,” said additional district magistrate Major Amit Mahajan (retd).
(With inputs from HTC Jalandhar)
