Farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni ready to test political waters again

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, July 5

Despite unsuccessful attempts of uniting farmers in the previous elections, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh, under the banner of his political outfit Sanyukt Sangharsh Party (SSP), is again ready to test his luck in the Assembly elections.

Though, Gurnam Singh was able to unite the farmers during various protests and over farmers’ issues across the state, the same unity was not witnessed during the elections.

In the previous Assembly elections, Gurnam had unsuccessfully contested the election from the Ladwa Assembly segment as an Independent candidate, and in the Lok Sabha elections his party extended support to the INLD Kurukshetra Lok Sabha candidate, Abhay Chautala, but the results were not encouraging.

Will contest all 90 seats

I have started holding meetings with the farmers and party workers in context with the Assembly elections. We have planned to contest all 90 seats. We are motivating the farmers to stay united if they want to get the issues heard and resolved. — Gurnam Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief

Now, he is expected to contest for the Pehowa Assembly constituency, and field candidates on all other seats in Haryana. However, uniting the farmers in the elections would be a mammoth task for the farmer leader.

A core committee member of the SSP, Rakesh Bains, said, “We have started preparing for the Assembly elections and the party has decided to contest all 90 seats. The party’s campaign from Pehowa will be formally launched soon and further strategy announced. The candidates on all seats will be selected soon.”

“Even after the massive farmers agitation in 2020, there hasn’t been any change in the lives of the farmers because the power is in the hands of the capitalists and they are not forming policies in favour of the farmers. So we have decided to enter into active politics because through protests, we can stop some policies from being implemented, but to get certain policies formed in our favour, we have to make sure that the farmers are in the Assembly and Lok Sabha,” he added.

About the missing unity among the farmers in the elections, Rakesh Bains said, “A big reason behind the lack of support in the elections is the farmers’ allegiance to different political parties. They participate in protests, but during the elections they stay with their parties. But even after getting the support from the farmers, the political parties are not working for the welfare of the farmers. Even the farmers get satisfied by achieving their short-term goals and don’t think about the long-term ones, which is to bring about a change in the lives of the farming community. During the campaign, we will talk to the farmers on these issues and motivate them to stay united because the political parties are only concerned about their vote banks.”

Meanwhile, Gurnam Singh said, “I have started holding meetings with the farmers and party workers in context with the Assembly elections. We have planned to contest all 90 seats. We are motivating the farmers to stay united if they want to get the issues heard and resolved.”