Phagwara: Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (Piddi Group) Punjab General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher on Monday flayed the central and Haryana governments for “creating obstacles” by barricading the Punjab-Haryana border to stop the protest march of farmers to Delhi.
Talking to the media during a brief halt of the Delhi-bound farmers’ cavalcade at village Mauli on the National Highway between Phagwara and Goraya, Pandher claimed the Haryana government’s “dictatorial orders” to switch off internet services would not deter the marchers as they can use use wireless sets for coomunication.
Pandher, in the presence of Bharatiya kissan Union (BKU) Doaba President Manjit Singh Rai and General Secretary Satnam Singh Sahni, said the farmers tried to convince the central government to fulfil their demands pending for the last 75 years.
He alleged though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released a letter promising to fulfill their demands during the previous farmers’ agitation in 2020-21, those have not been kept. On the contrary, the Haryana government has converted the state into an open jail.
He said the Punjab-Haryana border now resembles an international border. Such actions only give the country a bad name, Pandher cautioned Modi and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
While strongly criticising the Haryana government, Pandher said even farmers of Europe and other countries are protesting for their demands in their respective countries, but their govts never act like the Haryana government.
He said India is a democratic country and everyone has the right to raise their voice, Pandher said, adding that he wasn’t afraid of arrest. If the police wanted to arrest him, he won’t have any problem, but he keep on raising the demands.
BKU leader Rai said there is a lack of performance by the central govt. because nearly two months have passed since the call for the ‘Delhi chalo’ was given by Pandher and leaders of other farmers organisations. There is a flaw in the intention of the government and the government does not want to accept the demands of the farmers.
Rai said farmers and common people are suffering only because of the “incompetence” of the government,
“While the farmers do not want to trouble anyone, It is being said that the petrol pumps should not give oil to the farmers, but the petrol pump owners are also our brothers and they can never do such a thing to us.
“Farmers from all the states of the country are coming to Delhi together, but only the farmers of Punjab are being stopped by putting up barricades at the Haryana border. We also belong to this country, but if the government doesn’t accept it,” he said.
Rai and Sahni said they will give full support to the farmers organisations, which are non-political, and are going to Delhi for protest and BKU Doaba will also participate in the protest in Delhi along with them.
The farmers’ leaders warned that they will “fight fiercely” against the central government if the central and Haryana governments didn’t change their attitude.
Meanwhile the cavalcade of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh committee (Piddi Group). which made a
night halt at Mehta Bypass in Phagwara, proceeded from Mehta Bypass for Delhi to join the agitation being held by farmer organisations in Delhi on Tuesday.
The cavalcade of more than seven hundred farmers belonging to Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh committee (Piddi Group) led by Paramjit Singh Bhulla reached here in about 200 tractor trolleys.
