Farmers Movement Archive

Release of political prisoners part of demand charter, say farmers

BATHINDA: Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday took exception to a farm union observing International Human Rights Day at the Tikri border on the Delhi-Haryana border and displaying posters of UAPA accused like Varvara Rao, Sudha Bhardwaj and Umar Khalid. Tomar, in an interview to a TV news channel, said farmers were on the Delhi border to raise farming issues and they should limit themselves to these. He said pictures of people accused of Delhi riots, which took place amid protests against CAA-NRC earlier this year, needed to be avoided. Earlier, BJP leaders had claimed that the farm protesters had Khalistani links. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar too had claimed that his government had “inputs” on presence of Khalistani separatists in the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the three contentious agriculture laws. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), which organised the event to observe International Human Rights Day at Tikri on Thursday, said they had included the demand for releasing intellectuals in the charter submitted to the Centre and there was nothing wrong in raising voice against what was “not right.” “We had been raising the voice for release of intellectuals for a long time. A score of intellectuals, writers and rationalist leaders have been arrested in the past for opposing the government. They are being called anti-nationals or urban naxals, which is not right. We have raised the voice against violations of human rights on human rights day and there is nothing wrong in it. It was not to go away from farming issues as the release of intellectuals is one of the demands put forth by farm organisations in their demand charter,” BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan. A demand charter sent by the farm organisations to the Centre on October 14, under the signatures of organisation president Joginder Singh Ugrahan and general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri and 14 others included the demand for the release of intellectuals across the country. The same demand was also included in the draft sent by 31 farm organisations in the recent past, he said. “We have sent a demand charter long back to the agriculture minister, which included demand for the release of intellectuals arrested on false grounds. Why didn’t Tomar react at the time and stop farm organisations from pursuing this matter? Why It seems now the government is using the bogey of naxalism to crush this protest. We are against the way the opposing voices are being silenced by the government,” said Kirti Kisan Union vice-president Rajinder Singh. Another senior member of 32 farm groups said, “When we are demanding the release of politically arrested intellectuals and writers, there is nothing wrong in using the pictures of those who are victims of state oppression or repression. The government never gave heed to the health of Varvara Rao and snatched rights from Gautam Navlakha in jail, then why is it using the farmer struggle in putting forth its agenda and creating a scene where farmer struggle could be softened by exploring sentiments?” Even BJP Punjab general secretary Subhash Sharma claimed that farmers were playing into the hands of naxals and disruptive forces. He described the demand for release of “naxals” and “anti-national elements” as a clear indication of “disruptive and divisive” forces cashing in on the situation. He said farmers’ concerns have been addressed appropriately and adequately in the seven promises made by the Centre after four rounds of talks with farmer leaders and they should withdraw their protest. Sharma also said, “Newspaper reports suggest that disruptive elements have infiltrated the farmers’ agitation. Farmers must remain vigilant against them in the interest of Punjabis,” he added.

The Times of India

2020-12-12

Amritsar