4 min readLudhianaDec 19, 2024 03:46 PM IST
First published on: Dec 19, 2024 at 03:43 PM IST
A day after farmers in Punjab staged a ‘rail roko’ protest, Pritpal Singh Baliawal, the chief spokesperson of the state BJP unit, on Thursday questioned why they were “damaging” the economy and “causing hardship and suffering for Punjabis”.
In a post on X addressed to Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), Baliawal posed several questions in Punjabi. “Farmer unions are in Punjab, Khanauri and Shambhu Morcha in Punjab, farmers who are dying are from Punjab, rail roko protests are in Punjab, Punjab bandh in Punjab, sit-ins in Punjab, Dallewal, Shubhkaran, and the injured youth and elderly of Punjab, suffering farmers, traders, youth, and others in Punjab. If everything is happening in Punjab, how is this movement for the entire nation? Answer.”
Baliawal was referring to farmer union leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose hunger strike entered the 24th day on Thursday, and Shubhkaran Singh, the young farmer from Punjab who died during the protests earlier this year.
“Why are you sacrificing the sons of Punjab’s mothers for others? Why are you damaging Punjab’s economy? Why are you causing hardship and suffering for Punjabis? Why don’t you speak up about the exploitation of farmers during the paddy season? Let’s set aside stubbornness and talk about life! My brothers, come, let’s talk about Punjab and resolve the issues,” Baliawal added.
Baliawal had earlier mentioned that he had called Pandher and a few other farmer union leaders and asked them to give their memorandum of demands to the state BJP, saying they would coordinate with the Centre, but to no avail.
Supporting Baliawal, Harjeet Singh Grewal, a member of the BJP’s national executive committee, said: “Why are protesting farmer unions not raising the issue of exploitation of farmers during paddy procurement season at the behest of the Punjab government? The Centre had given Rs 44,000 crore to Punjab for paddy procurement but despite that, distress sale of paddy was done in the mandis and many farmers had to sell it below MSP. What will a legal guarantee of MSP do in such conditions?”
A legal guarantee of MSP is among the key demands of the farmers protesting under the banner of KMM and Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM, non-political).
“A CBI probe needs to be done in this entire paddy procurement process this year…why despite having money from Centre government farmers had to face cuts and wait in mandis for days to sell their crops? Small and marginal farmers suffered in mandis and became voiceless. Farmer unions hardly raised their voices,” Grewal said.
A visit to meet Jagjit Singh Dallewal
Senior BJP leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal has gone to Khanauri in his individual capacity to meet farmer union leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose hunger strike entered the 24th day on Thursday. “If any untoward incident involving Dallewal happens, it would leave an indelible stain on history. The central government should hold immediate talks with the protesting farmer unions at the borders. The government must put an end to the suppression of farmer protests and release the farmer leaders jailed in Greater Noida. I request that the proposed national policy framework on agricultural marketing should not be developed solely by officials at the Centre but in consultation with all farmer unions under SKM to ensure it benefits all stakeholders,” Grewal added.
According to sources, an 11-member BJP delegation had planned to meet Dallewal earlier but the trip did not materialise. BJP’s Punjab affairs in-charge Vijay Rupani had also tried reaching out to farmer unions but the meeting held at Sangrur this week did not yield any results.
Farmers block railway tracks as part of their state-wide 'Rail Roko' protest to press the Centre into accepting their various demands, including a legally binding minimum support price for crops, on the outskirts of Amritsar, Wednesday. (PTI Photo) 
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