Farmers Movement Archive

JJP apologies to farmers for Pipli lathicharge

CHANDIGARH: Digvijay Chautala of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which is part of Manohar Lal Khattar-led coalition government in Haryana, on Thursday apologised for police lathicharge on farmers protesting against Centre’s three agri-marketing ordinances in Pipli. He also assured the farmers of a probe into the incident. “Kisano pe koi lathi chali hai to vo kisano pe nahin, Devilal ke parivar pe chali hai. Lathi lagne wale kisano se JJP mafi mangati hai (JJP apologises to every farmer who was subjected to police action at Pipli. It was not a lathi charge on protesting farmers but on the family of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal),” Digvijay said in Chandigarh on Thursday. He was accompanied by JJP state president Nishan Singh and other leaders of the party. Significantly, Digvijay’s statement has come just after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Badal, BJP’s long-standing ally in Punjab, opposed the three agriculture ordinances in the Lok Sabha. Sukhbir had met Haryana deputy CM Dushyant Chautala and his father Ajay Singh Chautala in Delhi earlier this week for support on the agri ordinances. Digvijay, who is the younger brother of the Haryana deputy CM and head of JJP’s student body INSO, said that JJP was firmly with farmers and assured that the farmers would continue to get MSP on their crops. He said rumours regarding MSP would be cleared from September 25, when procurement of paddy would begin in Haryana. Digvijay also alleged that some Congress leaders were attempting to tarnish his brother’s image by unnecessarily connecting him with the Pipli incident. Asserting that Dushyant had no role in the Pipli incident, he challenged his detractors to come up with any evidence to prove their allegations. Dushyant initially maintained silence on the issue but had later condemned the police action even as he accused the Congress party of unnecessarily provoking the farmers. Dushyant had also tried to defend the ordinances, saying that the farmers would not be losing MSP or any related benefits. Khattar: Haryana will procure all crops on MSPChandigarh: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said his government was committed to procure every grain on minimum support price (MSP) and assured farmers that there will be no change in the functioning of mandis. With the introduction of new farm ordinances, he clarified, the government mandis will not be closed and procurement of crops on MSP will continue. He announced a special ‘Krishi Adalat’ in each district to effectively redress agriculture-related issues and queries of farmers. He said the ordinances introduced by the Centre have only given a facility to farmers that if a private agency wants to purchase from outside government mandis at a price higher than MSP, then the farmers can sell their crops at a higher price.

The Times of India

2020-09-18

Chandigarh