Kandela, May 29
A condolence meeting held here today to mourn the death of three farmers, who allegedly lost their lives in a clash with the police on May 19 at Nagura village, saw the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) resuming hostilities with the Haryana Government.

Addressing supporters here, Mr Ghasi Ram Nain, president of the BKU in Haryana, announced a three-point programme, including blocking of roads as a mark of protest against the state government’s unwillingness to fulfil a promise allegedly made by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rohtak, Mr Darshan Singh, regarding release of arrested BKU activists from jails. May 28 was the deadline set by the BKU for the release.

Mr Nain announced that blockades would be set up on roads all over Haryana by BKU workers with immediate effect to disrupt vehicular traffic. The blockades would be relaxed only for Army vehicles carrying jawans for deployment.

The BKU chief announced that henceforth if any minister or MLA of the ruling INLD came to a village having a strong presence of the BKU, he would be gheraoed by farmers for an indefinite period. Now civil or police officers would not be taken hostage as the BKU would focus its action against INLD ministers and legislators, Mr Nain said.

He announced that the ongoing demonstration at Kandela village would continue. The large crowd, which had gathered in a school building, the venue of the meeting, endorsed the announcements by raising their hands and cheering.

BKU sources said the programme of the agitation was discussed and approved at a meeting of its executive held here last night which was presided over by Mr Nain and attended by district BKU chiefs from Rohtak, Hisar, Fatehabad and Kaithal among others.

Mr Nain also spoke about the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala’s policy of wooing the BKU when Mr Chautala was in the Opposition.

“On October 10, 1999, Mr Chautala had attended a condolence meeting organised by the BKU at Tohana to mourn the death of Pyarelal Kakkar. He also gave Rs 11,500 as donation to the family. Then, in March, 1995, Mr Ajay Singh Chautala had attended a meeting at Narnaud held in memory of Shamsher Singh, a BKU worker killed by the police on March 1”, Mr Nain said.

He added that the late Devi Lal as well as Mr Om Prakash Chautala had come to Mandiwali when four farmers died there in police firing in October, 1997.

Other BKU leaders who addressed the gathering included Mr Dharamvir Hooda, chief of BKU’s Rohtak unit, who allegedly held talks with Mr Darshan Singh and struck a deal regarding exchanging the seven persons being held hostage by the agitators at Kandela for the release of imprisoned BKU workers.

“The DSP is from my village. He told me that talking to him was as good as talking to the DGP. But after Saturday night, when we released the hostages following the agreement with him, he disappeared. I have tried to contact him but he is said to be in Chandigarh”, Mr Hooda said. He appealed to the crowd to extend maximum support to the agitation and teach the government a lesson for going back on its words repeatedly.