Farmers shoo away Warring

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 27

Farmers agitating here to get compensation for damage to cotton crop today didn’t let Indian Youth Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring join the dharna.

Warring, who had entered the venue without the farmers’ permission, was asked to leave. They said if Warring wanted to join their protest, he would have to sit next to the farmers and not on the stage where he could grab the media’s attention.

“Many leaders come here, address press conferences, but fail to lift the farmers out of their misery,” said Shinghara Singh Mann, president, Bathinda, BKU Ugraha.

Warring said, “My sympathy is with the farmers. They should invite people to join their cause. We are already raising our voice for the farmers. I will speak to CLP Leader and others to plan an agitation.”

Yesterday, they did not let Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi sit on the stage with the agitating farmers. A week ago, Bhagwant Mann left Bathinda after he wasn’t allowed to speak on the stage. On September 22, farmers hurled seed packets and rolled pamphlets at BS Bhundar, MP, and BS Dhillon, PAU VC, at the Kisan Mela in PAU Regional Centre in Bathinda.

Farmers claimed they welcome anyone to join their protest, but they would not allow anyone to play politics over such a serious issue. They said the government needed to tackle the agrarian crisis in the state as several farmers were committing suicide. They said many politicians merely made statements to garner votes and never addressed the crisis.

Since September 17, about eight farmer unions have been sitting on a dharna opposite Rajindra College, demanding a compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for damage to cotton crop in the whitefly attack. Even though the district administration began disbursing compensation on September 23, many farmers have merely got Rs 15 relief.

The angry farmers have also not cremated the body of Kuldeep Singh, who committed suicide on September 25 at the dharna.