Bathinda/Patiala: On a call given by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held protests across districts in
Punjab on Monday and handed over memorandums to representatives of MPs in support of demands related to the year-long Delhi protest.
At the residence of MP couple
Sukhbir Singh Badal and
Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Badal village of Muktsar district, leaders of the farmer organisation pasted the demand charters at the gate when no one turned up to receive them.
Farmers accused the BJP-led central government of doing nothing to fulfil demands duly accepted by it in writing on December 9, 2021. The demands include
legal guarantee to minimum support price for all farmers on agricultural commodities, withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during protests, and justice in Lakhimpur Kheri killings.
On April 30, SKM had decided to strengthen the farmers’ struggle and take the fight to the 2024 parliamentary elections. The SKM had announced to hold protests at the residences and offices of MPs from May 26 to 31. Going by it, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) units from Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsasr, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts had assembled at Badal village. Farmers also reached Patiala and other places to hand over memorandums to other MPs. Earlier, farmers affiliated to various organisations had handed over memorandums to the representatives of MPs.
BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) state secretary Shingara Singh Mann said while urging farmers to end the protests in 2021, the central government had promised to concede to meet all their demands, but nothing had been done on the count even after close to one and half years.
The BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) members who protested outside the residence of MP Preneet Kaur in Patiala claimed 4 lakh Indian farmers had committed suicide and the debt of their families should be waived. They said minister Ajay Mishra, “conspirator in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre”, should be sacked and jailed.