Farmers Movement Archive

Section of SSM rules out poll pact with AAP

Jalandhar: A meeting organised by around half-a-dozen farm groups here to discuss expansion of Sanyukt Samaj Morcha made it clear that elections would be contested but there would be no alliance with any party, including Aam Aadmi Party. Former AAP MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, who has been strongly opposing any alliance with AAP, was also present during the function.Even as the speakers at the meeting did not mention any names of senior farm leaders, common refrain was that SSM should contest polls alone and should not have any alliance with AAP. The organisers said that they got support from 45 other organizations. Senior farm leader Ruldu Singh Mansa and actor-writer Amit Mann, who is one of the organisers of Joojhda Punjab, a front launched by some prominent Punjabis from diverse fields, also attended the function. Jamoohri Kisan Sabha leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu, who is also part of SSM, said the meeting was organised to expand the SSM and other organisations were told that they could keep their independent identity even as they would become a part of the SSM. “We decided that SSM would not have any alliance with any party, including AAP. Any farm leader now deciding to ally with AAP would be doing on behalf of his organisation and not on behalf of SSM,” Sandhu told TOI. Asked that how many farm groups, which were part of the SSM were present at the meeting, he claimed that not all were invited and 11 of them attended the meeting. However, Ruldu Singh Mansa told TOI that more groups have joined the SSM and from among the initial SSM members, only seven attended the meeting. He confirmed that the SSM leaders are in touch with a political party but declined to elaborate further. From the initial members, apart from Kulwant Sandhu and Ruldu Singh Mansa, Bogh Singh Mansa of BKU Mansa, Prem Bhangu, Kanwalpreet Singh of Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Harjinder Tanda of Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee are learnt to have attended the meeting.Dr Gandhi told TOI that it is learnt that a senior farmer leader was in talks with a political party which could not be treated as pro-Punjab and if that happened, the farmer leader would never be forgiven.

The Times of India

2022-01-03

Chandigarh