Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers out on roads, burn effigies of PM Modi, CM Channi

Amritsar, October 31Farmers burnt the effigies of the Prime Minister and Punjab Chief Minister here on the Amritsar-Harike road on Sunday demanding immediate arrest of minister of state for home, Ajay Mishra and for redressal of other issues related with agriculture.The farmer leaders also urged NRIs to show black flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to foreign countries. The PM is visiting Rome, Italy and Glasgow UK till November 2 to attend the G-20 Summit and the World Leaders’ Summit.While the effigy of the Prime Minister was burnt for issues and incidents related to the ongoing protest against the three controversial laws, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s effigy was burnt for state government’s failure to issue release for crop damage caused by hailstorm.Leading the protest Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said: “The announcement of state government regarding compensation for crop loss is a mere political statement as no girdawaris to assess the loss has begun.”He asked when the damaged crops would be harvested and the next crop would be sown, how will the assessment about the loss be made which would be necessary for releasing the compensation?Pandher said they have urged the NRIs to register their protest against the three farm laws by staging protests during the PM’s UK visit. The farmer leaders also criticised the Centre Government for increasing diesel prices.“The Centre had promised to double farmers’ income by 2020. Only two months are left. While the incomes are the same, prices of agriculture inputs have doubled in the last three-four years,” he said.Farmers said diesel prices have crossed the Rs100 per litre mark. They said diesel was largely consumed by agrarian section and transport carriers apart from private vehicles. “Increase in diesel prices when paddy harvesting and wheat sowing season is on will further distress farmers,” said another farmer leader Gurcharan Singh Chabba.

The Tribune

2021-11-01