Farmers Movement Archive

Protesting farmer is BJP poster boy

Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, December 22Harpreet Singh, a farmer whose photograph has been used by the Punjab BJP to drum up support in favour of farm laws, is actually sitting among the protesting farmers on the Singhu border since the first week of December. The photo was used on the party’s Facebook page.Harpreet Singh said, “I was first amused but then angry. How can they be so insensitive?” He is engaged in media projects displaying the angst of the farmers, their inconvenience and their struggle. Photographs clicked by Harpeet that highlighted the protest have gone viral.Harpreet Singh, known as ‘Harp farmer’ among friends has done his Masters in Software Engineering from the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT, Pune). Based at his village, Nadalon in Hoshiarpur district, his family owns only 2-acre land. “I know the pain of a small farmer very well. I am shocked and more so with our comparison with Khalistanis and Maoists.”“I got a call yesterday late evening from a friend at my village that the BJP was using my picture on its Facebook page. First I laughed but then I was offended. How could they use it without my permission? The artist has not even bothered to edit my picture professionally. The artist used it from my pictures on the internet.”“I will like to ask the government that if farmers where happy why would they be camping on the Delhi borders? Why will the old, including women, bear the cold of the shivering December? Why cannot government just withdraw the farm laws and rethink? Ego problem nothing else,” he said.“If the government does not repeal the laws, we will not go back home” he said firmly.“The BJP is trying make the farmer agitation look like a fight just for MSP. This is not true. There are issues like uncertain future of the farmers in our country with entry of the corporate on their farmlands. I can say that that despite tall claims, Narendra Modi is not with the farmers,” Harpreet said.The poster that was used was removed after uproar. President of the Punjab unit of the BJP Ashwani Sharma said “I am not aware about any such post, so, will not be able to comment”.

The Tribune

2020-12-23