Farmers Movement Archive

Farm front says Haryana govt has double standards in action against officials

Chandigarh/Bathinda/Ambala: The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Friday once again accused the Haryana government of adopting double standards on the issue of action against errant officials. SKM leaders alleged that while on one hand chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his cabinet colleagues order suspension of officials on-the-spot, relieve them of charge or get cases registered against them following simple complaints during public meetings, on the other hand, farmers have been sitting outside the Karnal secretariat for four days for action against errant officials and no action has been taken. “Take the case of suspensions by home minister Anil Vij, chief minister Khattar, deputy CM Dushant Chautala and other ministers and officers. Whereas videos on various issues of farmers have gone viral (but not action has been taken). CM, DyCM have acknowledged the misconduct (of officials in lathicharge on farmers in Karnal), but, their stand is totally different in this case,” said Yogendra Yadav, SKM member. As farmers’ sit-in against the Karnal lathicharge and demand for suspension of then SDM Ayush Sinha entered day four on Friday, SKM leaders claimed it was getting strong support from many quarters. A large cavalcade of farmers associated with BKU (Charuni) Punjab unit attended the ongoing protest outside the Karnal mini secretariat. The farmers, mostly from Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts, were carrying along banners of ‘Mission Punjab 2020 - Haryana Kisan Bachao Rally’. Karnal lawyers have joined the protest at Karnal mini secretariat as farmers from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have been joining the agitation, they said and added that a panchayat will be organised on Saturday. A cycle march of 50 farmers of Prahar Kisan Sangathan started from Maharashtra on Thursday. The 11-day cycle march will pass through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh before reaching Ghazipur border on September 19 and Singhu border on 20. On their way to Karnal, Punjab farmers took a break at the Shambhu border of Punjab and Haryana. Their leaders were welcomed and honoured with siropas (robes of honour) at Devi Nagar toll plaza in Ambala and at ‘Kisan Kranti Chowk’ (Pipli Chowk) in Kurukshetra by Haryana members of BKU (Charuni). A member of Charuni’s Mission Punjab 11-member committee, Sarabjit Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib, said if Haryana government did not accept the demands of farmers, those from Punjab would reach Karnal daily. Harinder Singh, a farmer who was part of the cavalcade from Mandour village in Fatehgarh Sahib, said, “We are also carrying forward the call of Mission Punjab as we think farmers will have to join politics to change the system We are planning to field educated persons from among farmers in politics, so they too represent their section in Parliament and assemblies and be participants in the law formation process.” Box 1 year of Pipli lathicharge BKU (Charuni) Haryana also marked one year of a lathicharge by Haryana Police at Pipli Chowk on September 10 last year. On September 9, 2020, BKU (Charuni) national president Gurnam Singh Charuni had given a call to hold a farmers’ ‘Kisan Bachao, Mandi Bachao’ (save farmer, save grain market), at the Pipli grain market in protest against the three farm ordinances, which later became laws. Kurukshetra district administration had imposed Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code and police laid 54 check posts to stop the farmers, but they had managed to reach Pipli, where force was used against them on September 10.

The Times of India

2021-09-11

Chandigarh