On the fourth day of the indefinite chakka jam on Saturday, the president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur) Jagjit Singh Dallewal started fast unto death at Faridkot on Saturday afternoon.
Dallewal said his fast would continue until the Punjab government issued notifications for various demands the chief minister Bhagwant Mann agreed to during meetings with the farmer unions.
He said the Punjab government was appealed to order the implementation of compensation till Saturday afternoon after which he initiated fast unto death as scheduled.
“We highlighted the plight of growers of cotton, paddy, summer moong and wheat whose crops were severely affected by pest attacks this year. These farmers demand compensation. In the meetings, CM accepted the demands and issued press statements but did not implement them,” said Dallewal while speaking over the phone from the protest site at Faridkot where he reached on Saturday morning.
Veteran farmer rights activist has appealed to supporters of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) not to hold a parallel fast unto death at any place.
“CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership of the state is mocking the ongoing protest that is in support of farmers. A section of farmer union leaders affiliated with the Left ideology were leading a protest in Phagwara against a sugar mill and blocked the road for 28 days this year. Now they have also joined the chorus with the AAP to ridicule SKM agitation,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership of the state is mocking the ongoing protest that is in support of farmers. A section of farmer union leaders affiliated with the Left ideology were leading a protest in Phagwara against a sugar mill and blocked the road for 28 days this year. Now they have also joined the chorus with the AAP to ridicule SKM agitation,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}BKU head said the government is non-serious about farmers’ issues. We had to come on the road as for months the respective district authorities did not pay any heed to our demands, he added.
“CM had promised not to take punitive action against paddy growers for burning crop residue as the government could not provide financial support for stubble management. As various district administrations marked red entries, a trust deficit emerged and the government failed to plug it,” he added.
Meanwhile, the president of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Sarwan Singh Pandher condemned CM’s statement undermining farmer unions.
Pandher said from November 26, dharnas would be started for an indefinite period in front of the district administrative complexes across the state.