Farmers Movement Archive

SKM feud out in the open: Now, Rajewal slams Charuni for his ‘political ambitions’

KARNALAlmost a year after they jointly led a convoy of farmers from Punjab and Haryana from the Panipat toll plaza and laid the foundation of the farmers agitation in November last year, the two big faces of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions spearheading the agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws, Gurnam Singh Charuni of Haryana and Balbir Singh Rajewal of Punjab have openly come out against each other.A day after Charuni alleged that farmer leaders from Punjab were worried about his increasing popularity in their state, Rajewal said that they would oppose Charuni’s visit to Punjab.“Like other politicians, we will also oppose Charuni if he holds any programme in Punjab as there is no difference between Charuni and other politicians,” Rajewal said during his visit to Karnal on Thursday.Rajewal said that the SKM was not formed for the political agendas and the morcha leaders were against Charuni’s political statements. “But he (Charuni) himself was not concerned about the success of the agitation,” Rajewal said, reacting to Charuni’s statement that Punjab farmer leaders were worried about his popularity.He said that the SKM leaders had requested him that he should not hold meetings in poll-bound Punjab as this is against the morcha’s agenda, but to no avail. “Now, we have decided to show him black flags if he holds such meetings in Punjab,” Rajewal said.On being questioned if bickering will have any impact on the agitation, Rajewal said that he was confident that the protest will be successful and the farmers will force the government to withdraw the farm laws.He said the final decision about the SKM’s protest march from Ambala to Delhi on November 24 has not been taken yet and there are no plans to reach the India Gate.Rajewal had come to Karnal to record his statement before the one-member commission investigating the sequence of events that led to the police lathicharge at Bastara toll plaza in Karnal on August 28. The farmer leader said he has recorded his statement and told the commission that he was not present in Karnal when the lathicharge took place.

Hindustan Times

19-11-2021

Chandigarh