BKU faction lifts rail blockade, other farmer outfits stay put
The Ugrahan group says it will continue sit-ins at toll plazas, fuel stations owned by corporate houses
SANGRUR/AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH : The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) on Tuesday lifted the rail blockadeagainst the Central government’s new contentious agriculture laws even as 29 farmer outfits announced to continue with their protests on the tracks across Punjab.
The ‘rail-roko’ agitation in Amritsar entered the 20th day on Tuesday with the protesters parking their tractors on the tracks. The farmer bodies are demanding enactment of a state-level law to nullify the Centre’s legislations.
Gobinder Singh, the Sangrur block chief of the farmer outfit, said, “The union has not called off the protest but it has been
shifted from railway track to residences of BJP leaders. The protests will be held for an indefinite period. The protests at the toll plazas and fuel stations owned by the corporate houses will continue.”
On the demand of Punjab cabinet ministers Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Sukhbinder Singh Sarakria for lifting the rail blockade, BS Rajewal, who heads a BKU faction, said the state govern
ment’s claims of thermal plants shutting down due to the shortage of coal are untrue. “Punjab is not dependent on coal as a bulk of electricity is coming from outside the state grids,” he said.
State committee meets farmers
A committee of Punjab’s cabinet ministers also met the farmers and issued appeal to lift the protest over railway
tracks so that movement of coal, foodgrain, urea and DAP and other essential commodities could resume.
“We told them that on September 29, in a meeting with farmer unions chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had promised to convene special session of the vidhan sabha to reject central laws and bring state’s laws for the benefit of farmers,” said Rajewal.
So far they have not heard from the state government, the
farmer union leader added.
Cabinet ministers Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria who met the farmers gave assurance for an early resolution of the issue. The farmers were conveyed by minister Bajwa that in cabinet meeting scheduled on Wednesday a schedule for the vidhan sabha session could be announced.
The unions will take a call on lifting the blockade on Thursday (October 15).