Farmers Movement Archive

SAD leaders to protest outside Ashu residence on November 4

LUDHIANA: Senior leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal conducted a meeting on Thursday, where they decided to stage a protest outside the residence of cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on November 4 against illegal arrival of paddy crop from Bihar and UP. They alleged that a chat had gone viral between a commission agent and an officer regarding involvement of a Congress minister, following which a talk goes on how to distribute profit that would come after paddy crop from other states would be sold here. The Akali leaders condemned the recently passed Bill in the assembly by chief minister Amarinder Singh against three farm laws of the central government. They claimed that the state government just wanted to slow down the pace of protests by farmers, so they passed this Bill in the assembly. They claimed that BJP leaders were boasting about benefits of farm laws that farmers would get better rates for their crop and they could sell their crop anywhere, but on the contrary the private firms had started looting the farmers. The private companies purchased crop at Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,100 per quintal from UP and Bihar farmers and now this crop was being transported to Punjab for selling it at higher rates. Moreover, it is being done to mislead the central government about total paddy produce in Punjab. The Akali leaders claimed that they would raise voice against this ongoing scams and would hold a protest outside Ashu’s residence and people could participate in it. District president of SAD Ranjit Dhillon said, “The farm laws will finish the farming sector in the state and Congress had also done little to counter it. Moreover, in food supply department a lot of issues are going on which need to be tackled, so they will gather outside Ashu’s residence and protest there. On the other hand, Ashu said SAD was finding ways to prove that they were in favour of farmers, so they were levelling allegations against others, but by doing so they would not be able to prove anything.

The Times of India

2020-10-30

Ludhiana