Sunil Jakhar’s nephew Ajay Vir quits as Punjab farmers’ commission chief
Ajay, who was appointed chief of the farmers’ commission by Captain Amarinder Singh in April 2017, cites ‘changed circumstances in state’ as reason for decision
With the change in guard in Punjab on Monday, Ajay Vir Jakhar, the nephew of former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, announced his decision to quit as chairperson of the Punjab State Farmers Commission (PSFC).
In a tweet, he announced that he is resigning “due to the changed circumstances in the state”.
Also read: Sunil Jakhar ‘baffled’ by Harish Rawat’s ‘Sidhu to lead Punjab polls’ statement
Ajay refused to comment further or elaborate on the circumstances that led to his decision.
A progressive farmer from Maujgarh village in Fazilka, Ajay is the grandson of former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar and belongs to Abohar in Punjab.
Ajay was appointed chief of the farmers’ commission by Captain Amarinder Singh in April 2017 soon after the Congress came to power.
While Balram Jakhar was a veteran Congress leader who served as the Lok Sabha Speaker for two terms, his son and Ajay’s father, Sajjan Kumar Jakhar, remained a state minister.
Ajay’s announcement came minutes after his uncle Sunil posted a tweet objecting to AICC Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Rawat’s statement that the 2022 elections next year will be fought under the leadership of state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Sunil Jakhar termed the statement baffling and claimed that it undermines the authority of chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Under Ajay Vir’s command, the Punjab State Farmers Commission had drafted a farmers’ policy and submitted it to the state government in 2018.
But the Captain government kept the report, aimed at strengthening the farm sector and improving the income of agriculturists of Punjab, pending for nearly three years.
Ajay is the chairperson of a non-government organisation (NGO), Bharat Krishak Samaj, that was founded by Balram Jakhar in 1955.
