M A I N   N E W S

BKU leader freed to facilitate talks
Backing farmers, Congress starts dharna
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Jind, June 3
Bowing to the pressure of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), the Haryana Government has apparently released one of the top BKU leaders from prison to facilitate an agreement with the BKU.

Official sources confirmed that Mr Ramphal Kandela, general secretary of the BKU in Haryana, was taken out from the Mahendragarh prison on a production warrant and brought to Jind. Since Mr Kandela’s case is scheduled to come up in the Jind court on June 6, the government action to take him out on a production warrant early that morning is believed to be linked to its intention to involve the BKU leader in a negotiation to pave the way for the withdrawal of the ongoing agitation by the organisation.

Meanwhile, the BKU too has apparently got wind of the government design as it held an emergency meeting of its executive at Kandela to frustrate the Haryana Government’s attempt. The meeting decided that no office-bearer of the organisation would have the right to take any decision regarding the agitation going on in the state on his own. It authorised only Mr Ghasiram Nain, president of the BKU in Haryana, to take any decision regarding the agitation and issues raised by the farmers.

Sources said that along with Mr Kandela, Mr Mohinder Singh, president of the BKU in Jind district, had been brought out from Gurgaon jail on a production warrant. The news has made the BKU apprehensive about the state government persuading Mr Kandela and Mr Mohinder Singh to come to a compromise without involving the BKU leaders.

“We do not know where Mr Kandela and Mr Mohinder Singh are. We fear for their lives. If the state government does not make it clear where these two BKU leaders have been taken, we will be compelled to take recourse to a more aggressive course of action to pressurise the government to release the whereabouts of Mr Kandela and Mr Mohinder Singh,” Mr Bajinder Singh, chief of the BKU’s Hisar unit, said.

Mr Nain said that he would appeal to the judiciary to ask the state government regarding the whereabouts of the two BKU leaders. He said the “devious” methods adopted by the state government would not work. The state government must first withdraw the cases against BKU leaders and then release them from jails. He added that the arrested BKU leaders must come to him as free men.

Dismiss Chautala, says Congress
Tribune News Service

Jind, June 3
The Congress today demanded the dismissal of the Chautala government of Haryana and imposition of President’s rule in the state.

Talking to reporters here today, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, president of the party’s state unit, said they would also bring the “repressive methods” being used by the state government against Bharatiya Kisan Union ((BKU) agitators to the notice of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The HPCC chief was here to lead an indefinite dharna organised by the Congress in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office to protest against police firing on farmers. He also wanted the CBI to probe into the incidents of firing. He alleged that the postmortem report of the farmers killed in Nagura had been changed by the state government and said that this too should be looked into by the CBI.

Mr Hooda said the Congress members would continue the demonstration at Jind till the issue was resolved by the government.

He said the government should implement the Kandela agreement signed between Mr Ajay Singh Chautala, MP, and Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, Agriculture Minister of Haryana on the one hand, and the BKU on the other.

Mr Hooda demanded Rs 10 lakh as compensation from the government to the families of each of the eight persons killed by police in course of the BKU agitation. “The Congress party is also considering raising money for giving compensation to the families”, Mr Hooda said.

He claimed that the Congress was not trying to take any political advantage from the killing of farmers by police. “Neither we are inciting the farmers. We are here to put pressure on the state government through the peaceful dharna so that it is compelled to address the grievances of the farmers,” Mr Hooda said.

Hold talks with farmers: Bansi
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, June 3
Haryana Vikas Party supremo said the INLD president should hold talks with farmers to stop further loss of life. He said Mr Chautala had promised to provide electricity and water free of cost before the Assembly elections to farmers but now those very farmers seem anti-social elements to him.

He said the Chief Minister was inviting industrialists from other states to set up their plants here while most of the industrialists here were deserting the state.

He appealed to the farmers to avoid cutting of trees, blocking roads and destroying government property.