Farmers detained ahead of Rajasthan CM’s rally in favour of Hans Raj

Archit Watts

Muktsar, May 25

The police today rounded up nearly 50 farmers who had gathered to lodge a protest near the venue of Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s rally in favour of BJP candidate from Faridkot Hans Raj Hans at Bhallaiana village in Gidderbaha Assembly segment here.

The farmers claimed that they just wanted to lodge a peaceful protest near the venue and were empty handed, but the police bundled them in a police bus and took them away. “The BJP candidate will not get votes by doing theatrics that the farmers in Patiala tried to kill him. The farmers are lodging peaceful protests everywhere. However, the police are detaining us,” claimed the farmers.

Meanwhile, former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who is yet to make a public appearance in Bathinda parliamentary constituency, attended the rally here today. He delivered a speech as well. Earlier, he had attended the rally of PM Narendra Modi in Patiala on Thursday.

Manpreet had lost the Assembly election from Bathinda in 2022. Earlier, in the day, he campaigned in favour of BJP’s Ferozepur candidate Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi in Malout town.

During his speech, the Rajasthan CM lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and recounted the works done by him during his tenure as Prime Minister. He spoke in chaste Hindi.