Farm suicides: Badals lead march of victims’ families
BLAME GAME Say govt failed to fulfil pre-poll promises made by ruling Congress
CHANDIGARH: Former chief minister and Akali Dal patron Park ash Singh Badal along with party president Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday led a march of suicide victim farmers’ families towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the opening day of the budget session in protest against what they termed as failure of the Amarinder Singh-led government to fulfill his party’s pre-poll promises.
The march, organised by the Youth Akali Dal (YAD), started from the MLA flats, less than a kilometre from the Vidhan Sabha complex in Sector 1, Chandigarh.
After the marching SAD leaders and farmers were stopped by the Chandigarh Police at a distance from the assembly complex, they sat on a dharna there on the road. The sit-in continued for more than two hours.
Addressing the gathering, the former CM assured the victims’ families that the Akali Dal would fight their battle to ensure they get justice. He asked CM Amarinder Singh to honour his commitment or step down.
“The CM has stabbed the poor and beleaguered farmers’ families, and has gone back on the oath he took on the holy Gutka Sahib. Every time those at the receiving want him to listen to their grievances, the CM sends cops with water cannons to greet them instead of giving them a hearing,” said Badal.
“The total amount of loan which Amarinder Singh has promised to waive is less than what SAD-BJP waived in free power to farmers. We also took unprecedented decisions like hiking crop loss compensation from ₹2,000 to ₹8,000 per acre,” he claimed.
Sukhbir said Congress president Rahul Gandhi had announced that he will implement the Punjab model in other states ruled by his party. “It seems now the Congress wants to cheat farmers across India like it did in Punjab. We will raise the issues of farmers with the Punjab governor. Our party will launch a state-wide agitation to ensure the promises made to them are kept,” he said.
Two farmers — Suvinderpal Singh of Ajnala and Harjeevan Singh of Ferozepur — blamed the Congress government for suicides committed by their family members. They alleged that they were being harassed by the banks to repay loans.
STOPPED BY UT POLICE AT A DISTANCE FROM ASSEMBLY, SAD LEADERS, FARMERS SIT ON A DHARNA