Farmers Movement Archive

AAP launches campaign for villages in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday launched ‘Gram sabha bulao, pind te Punjab bacho’ campaign here in the presence of party’s state president Bhagwant Mann. A press conference in this regard was organised later in which Mann, along with in-charge of Punjab affairs Jarnail Singh and Bibi Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, deputy leader of opposition spoke to mediapersons about the campaign. Mann said, “gram sabha existed in every village with panchayat and every citizen of 18 years or above is a gram sabha voter. A sarpanch/panchayat of the village can convene a gram sabha session as a special case on a minimum seven days’ notice, so the sarpanch needed to be informed.” Lashing out against his rival parties, Mann said “Badals have stabbed the farmers of the state in the back by advocating in favour of the anti-agriculture black laws and now were hell bent on playing political cards to disturb the farmers’ struggle by engaging themselves in nefarious designs to break the mobilisation of the farmers and common man of Punjab. On one hand, SAD president Sukhbir Badal is holding rallies to express solidarity with the farmers, while on the other chief minister Amarinder Singh is making a commitment to fight a legal battle against the anti-agricultural black laws, saying that he would go to any extent to get them tweaked at all costs. But the ground reality is just the opposite and both Amarinder Singh and Sukhbir are trying to hoodwink the farmers as both had played a pivotal role in the passage of the anti-agriculture black laws.” On the occasion, Jarnail accused Sukhbir of maintaining double standards on the issue. He said that he was now speaking against the anti-agriculture bills but had supported these in Punjab by holding press conferences. All AAP leaders also said that their party had always raised its pitch against the agriculture bills and had always stood shoulder to shoulder with the farmers and that it would continue to do so in the future as well. For this it was launching the campaign, ‘Gram sabha bulao, pind te Punjab Bachao’ all across Punjab.

The Times of India

2020-09-30

Ludhiana