Farmers Movement Archive

Farmer leaders say NIA notices ploy to derail stir

Bathinda: The farmer organisations have reacted sharply to the National Investigations Agency (NIA) sending summons to a farmer leader, transporters and performers. They have raised objections to the timing of the notices when the Supreme Court is to hear petition about proposal of the farm organisations to hold tractor march in Delhi on the Republic Day and their talks with central ministers are on. On of those to get notice is Baldev Singh Sirsa, head of one of Punjab-based Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society president. He has been participating in talks with the Union ministers. The NIA has summoned him as a witness for questioning in the case against SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannu for an alleged conspiracy to create an “atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and to cause disaffection in people and to incite them towards rising in rebellion against the Government of India”. Farm organisation BKU Ekta Dakonda vice-president Manjit Singh Dhaner said the NIA summons to many of those were supporting farmer struggle were ill timed. “These seems a move to intimidate the farmer leaders, but we will not bow before such tactics and are determined for action on January 26,” he added. Farm organisation BKU Ekta Ugrahan secretary Shingara Singh Mann said NIA was trying to put the farmer struggle in bad light. The claims made in the Supreme Court that Khalistanis and anti-national persons have infiltrated the struggle and are funding the protests, were not true, he claimed. “All this points to bigger scheme of things being unfolded by the government agencies to derail the farmer protest,” he alleged. The government had failed to contain the protest as more and more persons from various sections of society were joining in and farmers from various states were heading towards Delhi, said Dhaner.

The Times of India

2021-01-17

Chandigarh