Farmers Movement Archive

Process for new PPCC body to begin in March, says Harish Rawat

Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, January 25AICC general secretary and Punjab affairs in charge Harish Rawat today said the process to announce the new body of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) would begin in March, soon after elections to the civic bodies in the state were over.“The party leadership has decided that it will not wait for the farmers’ agitation to end before announcing the new body of the state party unit,” Rawat said, adding: “Due to the adamant attitude of the BJP and the Prime Minister, the farmers’ agitation has been prolonged.”He said not only the PPCC body, but the party was also preparing a calendar of its political activities and would be unfolding it in the coming months.Condemning the attack on party MP Ravneet Singh Bittu at the Singhu border yesterday, he said it was the handiwork of unscrupulous elements and no farmers’ body was involved in it.Rawat said the farmers’ agitation had taken shape of a “Jan Andolan” and the day was not far when the Narendra Modi-led government would have to bow before the farmers. Regarding BJP’s strategy to play “divisive politics”, Rawat said it was not working in Punjab. To counter the urban- rural divide politics, he said Punjabis understood the saffron party’s design. The Congress was also trying to make people aware that the three farms laws would result in further price rise of essential commodities.The Congress leadership in the state was well aware of the parties that could eat into its vote share among Dalits and urban Hindus.In reply to a charge that the Congress by supporting farmers was addressing Jat voters, Rawat said the new farm laws affected the entire state and the country, not just one community.

The Tribune

2021-01-26