As the state chief minister, Bhagwant Mann has taken on farmer unions in Punjab for blocking roads, staging dharnas, and holding the state government to ransom to fulfill their demands. This is the first time a state chief minister in Punjab has done so. Farmers’ unions staged dharnas he alleged for “monetary considerations.”
It is not good to block roads and impede traffic flow. The trend of holding dharnas at any moment is becoming more common. There is an inconvenience for the people. Public sympathy for you exists so far, but if your actions inconvenience the public, you will lose it. Demonstrations are your right, so please hold them outside the houses of MLAs/ministers or outside the DC office,” he said.
A scathing attack on some farmer unions was launched by CM Mann, who said some unions were staging protests simply to make their presence felt. There are some of them who have made reservations in advance for dharnas, but not all. In the first instance, they stage dharnas seeking meetings with government… then after the meeting, they stage dharnas seeking funds, even having to prove that the money gathered is used,” he said.
AAP and the farmer unions had earlier enjoyed a cosy relationship, but that relationship has ended. The farmer unions attacked the CM as soon as he made his statement. An intensified dharna led by BKU EKTA Sidhupur in Amritsar has blocked the highway near Kathunangal.
There have been five dharnas staged across the state by various farmer unions- at Amritsar (Kathunangal), Faridkot Tehna T point, near Mukerian Sugar Mill, Dhareri Toll Plaza at Patiala, and Talwandi Sabo. AAP’s inability to address this issue has caused public ire, as the common man is being inconvenienced by these dharnas.
There are several demands made by these unions, including jobs for next of kin, monetary compensation for families of farmers who lost their lives in the year-long struggle against farm laws, and bonuses for wheat yield loss. CM also said that almost all of these demands have been accepted by the government.
BKU Ekta Ugrahan’s general secretary, Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, criticized the CM’s statement to The Tribune. He is a farmer himself. What makes him so insensitive? The moong was only purchased in ten percent. When our demands are not met, we stage dharnas out of desperation. The sacrifices and struggles we have made have been overlooked by him,” he said.