SKM suspends Charuni for advocating Mission Punjab
KARNAL : The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday suspended Haryana BKU leader Gurnam Singh Charuni for seven days for suggesting that Punjab farmer outfits involved in the stir against the Centre’s farm laws should contest the assembly polls next year.
The SKM is an umbrella body of various farmer unions protesting the Centre’s farm laws. The suspension of Charuni, a prominent farm leader from Haryana and a core member of the agitation, has exposed the rift within the farmer union leadership on testing political waters ahead of the assembly elections
“Following Charuni’s repeated statements that morcha members should launch mission Punjab and contest polls, we have decided to suspend him for a week”, senior SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told reporters.
Rajewal said Charuni had been telling the Punjab farmer leaders to take a political plunge. “We had been telling him that we have no such programme. The SKM was not formed to contest polls but to lead the agitation,” said Rajewal, adding that during the suspension period Charuni will not be allowed to share the morcha stage and make any statement on behalf of the umbrella body.
Charuni, in a video message, said his suspension was wrong and it won’t change his stand. “I want to make it clear that I am still in favour of farmer leaders from Punjab contesting the upcoming assembly polls,” he said. The farmer leader, who enjoys a huge support in Haryana, especially in northern districts, said he floated the idea of Mission Punjab to ensure that farmers join active politics and have a say in the policy making process.
“All political parties, including those in the Opposition, have done nothing for the farmers. Defeating the BJP will not help us until we form our own government. If we don’t do so, it will directly benefit the opposition parties in the poll arena,” he said.
Charuni, however, made it clear that his suspension will not have any impact on the agitation, and he will continue his support to the protest against the controversial farm laws. Since the beginning of the agitation in November last year, Charuni’s supporters were leading the protests at several toll plazas in Haryana.