Commission agents’ strike enters Day 5
On the fifth day of the indefinite strike called by the Federation of Arhityas Associations of Punjab, work at grain markets across the state remained halted, with no procurement of paddy.
At a protest held outside Gate No. 1 of the main grain market on Hoshiarpur Road in Phagwara, prominent Akali leaders, including former Markfed Chairman Jarnail Singh Wahad, Phagwara Urban Incharge Ranjit Singh Khurana, and Rural Incharge Rajinder Singh Chandi, joined the commission agents to show solidarity. A memorandum outlining the demands was also handed over to the Akali leaders.
Addressing the protesters, Jarnail Singh Wahad and other leaders expressed their support for the demands of the commission agents. The district president of the association, Naresh Bhardwaj, and a leader, Kulwant Rai Pabbi, expressed gratitude to the Akali leaders for their support. They criticised the state government’s silence on the problem. “The Chief Minister’s mysterious silence has created uncertainty around the procurement of paddy, forcing commission agents to take to the streets,” said Bhardwaj.
Earlier, Congress MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal and former BJP Union Minister Som Prakash also expressed support to the protesting commission agents. With farmers already protesting on the streets, the addition of commission agents to the fray could make it difficult for Punjab Government to manage the situation.
Among those present at the protest were Akali leaders Bahadur Singh Sangatpur, Sarup Singh Khalwara, Jhirml Singh Bhindar, Sukhwinder Singh Kamboj, and others.
