Farmers Movement Archive

Will show black flags to Gurnam Singh Charuni in Punjab, says Balbir Singh Rajewal

Amit Kumar KARNAL: Senior farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on Thursday said that they will oppose and show black flags to BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni in Punjab due to his political motive. Rajewal was in Karnal on Thursday to record his statement before the oneman commission formed of inquiry to probe the sequence of events that led to police lathi-charge at Bastara toll plaza in Karnal on August 28. Rajewal said, “Politics is not an agenda of Morcha. SKM leaders had requested him that he should not hold meetings in poll-bound state Punjab, but to no avail. Hence, we have decided to oppose Charuni in Punjab if he holds any political programme there. We will also show black flag to him like other political leaders.” Asked about agitation, Rajewal claimed that the agitation was going in the right direction and it will be successful and the government will have to accept their demand. Reply to a question about SKM’s proposed protest march from Ambala to Tikri on November 24, Rajewal said that the decision is being reviewed and the final decision is pending. The two senior leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, GurnamSingh Charuni and Balbir Singh Rajewal, have openly come against each other as a day before Charuni, without naming anyone, had said that Punjab farmer leaders were jealous of his increasing popularity in their state. Now, Rajewal openly said that they would oppose Gurnam Singh Charuni in Punjab due to his political motive. However, he denied any rift in the morcha and said all is good. When asked about his statement before the commission, the SKM leader said that he told the commission that he was not present at Karnal when the lathicharge took place. But he was in Karnal on the day of the mini secretariat was gheraod. He said that he demanded strict action against the then Karnal SDM Ayush Sinha, who was seen in a video ordering the cops to smash heads of protesters on August 28.

The Times of India

2021-11-19

Chandigarh