Farmers Movement Archive

In a first, farmers let Bhupinder Singh Hooda share stage in Uchana Kalan

JIND: With the passage of time in the past over 11 months of the ongoing farmers’ protest against the three farm laws, farmers have now changed their tactics to deal with the Modi-led NDA government. On Friday, they allowed former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to address the farmers from their stage for the first time in Uchana Kalan town, called banger area, a stronghold of farmers’ protest since Day 1. The town is represented by deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala. Notably, farmers had never allowed any leader to address them. In his address, Hooda extended his support to them. He assured to take up issues of low MSP, loss assessment and farmers’ laws with the BJP-JJP coalition government strongly. The leader of the opposition visited the waterlogged area in Julana town to take stock of the situation on Friday. Hooda visited Julana Anaj mandi as well and took stock of the crop procurement. He said farmers are reaching the mandis with paddy in large quantities, but the government is not procuring the same. “Sometimes, the farmers are refused on the pretext of high moisture or unclean paddy. The government is giving new pain every day to the farmers by imposing various conditions on MSP, manure, seed and moisture,” he said. “I have visited several mandis of the state, including Julana, and the story is the same everywhere as farmers are forced to sell their crop to private agencies at a rate lower than the MSP. Almost every crop, including paddy, bajra, maize, is being sold at low rates in the mandis,” he noted. Hooda also took stock of waterlogging in the fields of Poli village in Julana where farmers said large areas were waterlogged due to heavy rains in the past. “Standing crop in the field got ruined, but the government has neither compensated them nor made any arrangement to drain out water. The sowing of the Rabi season has started, but the farmers of this area are unable to sow the crop,” he said. Talking to TOI, Jind BKU president Azad Palwan, who is leading the protest, said, “We have been sitting on a dharna for around a year, but the Modi-led government is mum and hatching conspiracies to split the protest rather than speaking with farmers. Now, we would allow political leaders affiliated to various political outfits to address us too, so that they can raise our voice in a better way. If one come to extend his support, he or she would be welcomed here at our protest site in future. Leaders are welcome to visit here, so that they can mount pressure on BJP-JJP government too to demand repeal of farm laws,” he said.

The Times of India

2021-10-30

Chandigarh