We have no complaints against Modi: Kutch farmers

Sikh farmers facing displacement from their lands in Gujarat on Tuesday said they had no complaints against Narendra Modi

Sikh farmers facing displacement from their lands in Gujarat on Tuesday said they had no complaints against Narendra Modi as it was not his government which was responsible for the move.

Addressing a press conference,a section of these farmers,led by Jugraj Singh,said it was being falsely reported that they were being treated unfairly by the Modi government because they were a minority community. There is absolutely no question of Sikh farmers leaving Kutch and returning to Punjab. The Gujarat government has never put any pressure on us to move out, said Jugraj Singh.

He said that the 1973 circular relating to the purchase of agricultural land is part of the rules framed more than 50 years ago by the then British Government. The circular states that purchase or acquiring of any agricultural land by someone who is not a farmer in Gujarat or any person of any the other state shall be deemed illegal.

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Of the 784 farmers whose records have been frozen following the 1973 circular,153 belong to Punjab,88 to Gujarat and 543 to other states like Rajasthan and Haryana.

This circular belongs to the period of the Congress rule and does not have any bias against farmers of Punjab. We are continuing with our farming activities on government-allotted lands as part of the post-1984 anti-Sikh riots resettlement programme, said Ranjeet Singh.

Earlier in the day,the farmers met Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal who assured them that he would soon take up with the Ministry of Railways,the issue of extending the existing Jammu Tawi-Ahmedabad Express to Kutch in Gujarat to enable them to frequently visit Punjab,in a hassle-free manner.

The delegation also invited Badal to visit the holy Sikh shrine of Gurdwara Sri Nanak Durbar at Kot Lakhpat in Kutch district,the historical place associated with Sri Guru Nanak Dev who stayed here while going and coming back from Mecca (Saudi Arabia) during his Udaasi. The delegation apprised Badal that a religious congregation was held here on December 25 every year and requested him to participate in it.

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