Farmer outfits reject govt’s appeal to lift rail blockades
Announce to observe ‘anti-Modi day’ tomorrow, will scale up protests
CHANDIGARH: Thirty farmer organisations from Punjab on Thursday rejected the state government’s appeal to lift the rail blockades, saying the claims of shortage of coal due to supply disruption and its subsequent impact on power generation were completely unfounded.
In a meeting in Chandigarh, the farmer outfits decided to continue with the rail blockades and the protests at other places which are going on since September 24.
The representatives of farmers also decided to take a call on the future course of action on October 20, a day after the special Punjab Vidhan Sabha session that has been called to enact a state-level legislation to nullify the Centre’s contentious agriculture laws. The farmer organisations said they were insulted as their concerns were not heard appropriately after being called to New Delhi for a meeting on new the agriculture laws.
“A bulk of electricity supply is tied up with central plants. The state already has 70% of the total stock of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea required for sowing of rabi crops,” said Jagmohan Singh Patiala, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU Dakounda).
In Amritsar, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee state general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “The state government told the court that due to the rail blockades, the thermal plants are facing severe shortage of coal. During the lockdown, the trains remained out of the tracks for at least 3 months but electricity was supplied in an uninterrupted manner in the state.”
“To scale up the protests, we have decided to gherao the houses, offices and business establishments owned by the BJP leaders, including districts presidents and above, across Punjab,” said Darshan Pal of the Krantikari Kisan Union after the meeting in Chandigarh.
The unions also decided to observe Saturday (October 17) as anti-Modi day in the state by burning effigies of the Prime Minister for “insulting” them.
70 people detained for protesting near Krishi Bhavan in Delhi
A total of 70 people who had gathered at the Krishi Bhawan in Delhi on Thursday to protest the three farm laws were detained by the police, officials said.
Police said these people were detained before they could start their protest at 12 pm. Police received information that some Akali leaders, along with farmers from Punjab, might hold a protest at the Krishi Bhawan, following which necessary police deployment was done. At 12.15 pm, some people, under the leadership of Parambans Singh, president of the the party’s youth wing, gathered with supporters. They were told protest would be allowed in view of Covid guidelines and section 144 order.