Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers oppose Kalia’s visit to Bathinda

Bathinda: Owing to its call for opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Punjab, activists of farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held protest against senior BJP leader and ex-minister Manoranjan Kalia at Bathinda on Saturday. Kalia had reached at an upscale hotel to take stock of the preparations of municipal corporation elections. Though police had put up barricades ahead of the venue, the farmers broke the barricades and reached up to the hotel, forcing Kalia to leave the place. On December 25, 2020, the BKU (Ugrahan) activists had reached at the programme being organised by BJP top leaders to observe birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a day later, the farmers had held a protest against BJP state president Ashwani Sharma. The activists had also laid siege to the residence of Barnala district BJP president Yadwinder Shunty when Kalia had visited him in November. Kalia was only let off from the residence in the evening. As police had barricaded the place, the situation turned tense for some time when farmers, including women, started breaking the barricades. Police used force to stop the farmers when large number of farmers broke open some barricades. The police somehow escorted Kalia out from some other gate. BKU (Ugrahan) district secretary Mothu Singh Kotda said, “When we got to know about the visit of BJP leader Kalia, we headed towards the hotel and raised slogans against the BJP. We will not let BJP leaders to indulge into social or political functions till Narendra Modi government not repeal the farm laws”. Kalia, when contacted, said, “I had come to attend a meeting to prepare for the upcoming elections. Some farmers reached there and held protest. Though I had come to discharge my duty, I preferred not to confront farmers.”

The Times of India

2021-01-24

Chandigarh