From Amritsar, farm unions begin campaign against BJP

GS Paul

Amritsar, April 5

After the BJP announced its candidates for the Lok Sabha poll in the state, farmers under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-political) today announced to oppose the nominees of the saffron party.

Gherao saffron party candidates

We have appealed to residents of 13,000 villages in Punjab to gherao and question the BJP candidates if they come for campaigning. Our allies will launch anti-BJP campaign across the country. Sarwan Singh Pandher, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee

Members of several farm unions commenced the anti-BJP campaign from Chabba village in Amritsar.

Earlier, posters — barring entry of the BJP’s leaders — were installed by farmers in several villages of Sangrur and Bathinda districts.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, Gurbachan Singh Chabba and Gurlal Singh Mann of the KMSC said not just in Punjab, they would not allow the BJP candidates to enter villages across the country.

The farm unions have got banners printed with photos of Shubhkaran Singh, who had lost his life during a clash with Haryana cops at the Khanauri border, as farmers tried to head towards the national capital in February. The posters also ask the BJP-led Central Government: “Sada ki kasoor… Asi ki mangya si, ditta ki? Goliyan…”

The farm leaders said district-level meetings would be held across the country and campaigns would be organised to expose the Modi government.

Pandher said, “We have appealed to residents of 13,000 villages in Punjab to gherao and question the BJP candidates if they come for campaigning. Our allies will launch anti-BJP campaign across the country.”

Farm leaders Rattan Singh Randhawa and Dr Satnam Singh Ajnala of the Border Sangharsh Committee and Jamhoori Kisan Sabha said issues related to border-area farmers were never addressed by the Centre.

“All farm unions have given a call to oppose the BJP leaders and show them black flags in villages. The BJP is bent on handing over the entire agro sector to corporates. The protesting farmers are being attacked and lodged behind the bars. It’s a murder of democracy,” said Randhawa.