Farmers Movement Archive

Ahead of Channi's visit, Congress workers lack zeal

Our CorrespondentTarn Taran, December 18Enthusiasm was found missing before the proposed visit of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to the border town of Patti on Sunday. It shows that he may not be given a rousing welcome on his arrival here. There were no hoardings, banners, arch gates, etc, found on most roads leading to Patti town.There was not even a single welcome gate, banner, hoarding, etc, on the 60-km Amritsar Road-Harike stretch. So was case in nearby constituencies — Khemkaran and Khadoor Sahib — where there was no welcome hoardings on the roads.Even in Patti areas, enthusiasm among party workers was missing which was not so on previous occasions. Earlier, there used to be seen arch gates, welcome flags, etc, in large numbers along the roads in every village.Satnam Singh Manochahal, district president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, said farmers of Sakhira village had invited Satnam Singh Pannu, state president of the KMSC, and other leaders to be honoured in the village gurdwara. He said Patti MLA Harminder Singh Gill too visited the village, but he was not invited by the farmers in the gurdwara.The farmers’ leader said KMSC leaders were invited by the farmers of Lauhuka village to honour them. He said both villages had a large population and were situated on the Tarn Taran-Patti road where not even a single hoarding, banner, etc, was seen.The farmer leader claimed that their activities were being watched closely by agencies due to the CM’s proposed Sunday visit to Patti.The KMSC was going to hold a two-day protest by way of ‘Rail Roko’ agitation against the state government demanding waiver of the whole debt as was promised by the party in the 2017 election manifesto. The ‘Rail Roko’ agitation would begin on December 20.The activities of the leaders of the agitating employees, including the National Health Mission (NHM), nurses and employees whose certain allowances had been stopped were being watched closely by government agencies. Even in Patti town, only posters were pasted on the walls and no other method to welcome the CM was adopted.Harminder Singh Gill, MLA, Patti, and Dr Dharambir Agnihotri, MLA, Tarn Taran, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Top leadership of the Congress was seen busy in Tarn Taran where the party’s district president Kiranjit Singh Mitha and acting president Rajbir Singh Bhullar assumed their charges here.

The Tribune

2021-12-19