Farmers Movement Archive

PM’s Ferozepur rally: Security up amid farm union’s call for protest at venue

Over 7,000 security personnel from paramilitary forces, Punjab Police and Haryana Police have been deployed at the venue of the Prime Minister’s rally in Ferozepur amid the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC)’s call to its activists to gather at the site on Wednesday to oppose Narendra Modi’s visit.Modi will be visiting the border district of poll-bound Punjab on Wednesday to lay the foundation stones of projects worth ₹ 42,750 crore. The visit is also being projected as the launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s election campaign.KMSC general secretary Sarban Singh Pandher said the protest is aimed at opposing the BJP-led central government for adopting anti-farmer policies. He alleged that two large groups of KMSC activists were stopped by police from reaching the rally site.“We demand the immediate removal of Ajay Mishra from the Union cabinet for his role in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. We will oppose Modi’s visit in a non-violent manner,” said Pandher.Official sources said heavy security arrangements have been made to secure the rally venue. A 10-kilometre radius around the venue, which is located about five kilometres from the city on the Ferozepur-Moga highway, has been sealed for security reasons. The paramilitary personnel have been given charge of the inner ring whereas police have been deployed around the venue. Security personnel have been asked to screen rally attendees to avoid any protest inside the rally event.Unions to burn Modi’s effigies across PunjabFarmers’ unions will also oppose Modi’s visit by burning his effigies at all district headquarters in Punjab.Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) chief Joginder Singh Ugrahan said farmers will also assemble in various towns and burn the PM’s effigies to highlight their pending demands and protest against the Centre’s failure to deliver justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.“We seek action against Ajay Mishra. FIRs against farmers are still pending in Delhi and Haryana. There is no clarity on the committee on MSP that the government had promised to form,” said Ugrahan.Dr Darshan Pal, president of Krantikari Kisan Union Punjab, held a meeting with union members in Barnala on Tuesday. He said over 700 farmers died during the agitation against the three farm laws, but the PM deliberately delayed the decision to repeal these laws and farmers are angry with him over it.Meanwhile, BKU Ugrahan will end its protest against the state government by lifting the dharnas from front of 12 district administration headquarters on Wednesday. Among other demands, the union was seeking ₹3 lakh compensation, government job and debt waiver for family members of farmers and farm labourers who committed suicide. Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the Punjab government has given compensation in most cases, FIRs have been quashed in most districts and affected families got jobs in 180 cases. “The dharnas will end from Wednesday evening,” he said.

Hindustan Times

05-01-2022

Chandigarh