Farmers Movement Archive

No end to hostility towards BJP in Punjab

Chandigarh, November 21As the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks to project Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to withdraw the three farm laws as his love for Punjab and farmers, there seems to be no love lost between the party leaders and protesters.Farmers led by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) have been staging protests outside the residences of BJP leaders at several places across the state for more than a year now. Sources said after the announcement by PM Modi on Friday, the BJP’s top leadership instructed local leaders to make “truce” with protesting farmers by offering them sweets and congratulating them. Subsequently, the local leaders tried to approach the farmers but they were turned away.In one such incident, sources said, on the directions of party’s state general secretary Dinesh Kumar, two leaders from a Malwa district approached farmers protesting in front of the house of a district president with sweets and the message that “Modi ji was never against farmers”.However, the farm leaders questioned the saffron party on its silence on the 700 lives lost during the agitation. The farmers said they would buy sweets and distribute these once the laws were repealed in Parliament.Over the past one year, farmers have targeted BJP leaders across the state. At several places, party leaders were heckled and attacked by protesting farmers.

The Tribune

2021-11-22