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Farmers from across state join indefinite strike

Mohali/Chandigarh: *Govt refuses to give into concession demands*Deputy CM says demands unjustified*Balbir Singh Rajewal sits on hunger strike

Even as the farmers from across the state on Monday launched an indefinite agitation to mount pressure on the state government to accept their demands — for a financial package to farmers and waiver of electricity bills—¿ the Punjab government refused to accept any of them.

Hundreds of farmers from across the state descended in Mohali under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union, led by Balbir Singh Rajewal. From the district, they marched towards Chandigarh and were stopped at the Chandigarh-Mohali border. Rajewal has, meanwhile announced, he would sit on an indefinite hunger strike till the demands of the agitating farmers are met.

The farmers, on a call given by Rajewal, started assembling at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Phase VIII in Mohali from where they marched towards Chandigarh around noon after performing ardas. The agitating farmers, who earlier raised anti-Punjab government slogans, were again denied entry to Chandigarh and on being intercepted from marching ahead though in a totally peaceful manner, the farmers squatted on Mohali-Chandigarh border on Sector 51-52 dividing road.

The Chandigarh Police had deployed forces at all entry points to the city. Around 500 policemen were present at the Sector 51-52 dividing road. The farmers, who were stopped at the entry point, made no attempts to force their way in. Rather, they walked up to the border and reaching the barricades that had been set up sat down on dharna.

The leaders then addressed the gathering asking the farmers to spread the message in every village and every home of the alleged atrocities by the government.

Addressing the gathering Rajewal said the Punjab government is not distributing the Rs 800 crore package it received from the Centre. “The government did not even reveal that the grant has been received by it in March. It is only after we showed all the relevant letters to the Punjab Chief Minister that he agreed that the grant has been received. This shows the dishonesty of the government. People do not expect the government to betray them or keep them in the dark. However, this is what the Punjab government did,” he said. He said the government received the grant only after the efforts of the members of BKU. “The farmers had to spend a lot for growing paddy last year due to the shortage of water. A lot of money was spent on using borewells to ensure that the fields were well watered. The Minimum Support Price offered did not cover the costs. Thereafter we had raised the issue at the Centre,” he said.

He added that the government should not take electricity bills from them and directly pay the money to the electricity board. He asked the farmers to boycott rallies of all political parties so that they realise that the farmers are angry. After the rally, the farmers returned to their villages. Rajewal and the office bearers of Punjab unit of BKU have set up a tent at the border where Rajewal would be sitting on indefinite hunger strike.

Interacting with media in Mohali this afternoon, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal termed both the demands of BKU (Rajewal) as “unjustified” and the protest “uncalled for”. “We have paid Rs 800 crore package received from the Centre to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited on account of free electricity supplied to Punjab farmers after procuring it at higher rates from other states during drought in 2009 while we have decided in-principle at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting to release productivity bonus to farmers at par with the electricity bills paid by them,” said Sukhbir.

On the demand of agitating farmers to disburse Rs 800 crore of the Central package among the peasants, Badal said the grant was utilised in a manner and the purpose for which it was meant for.

“It was specifically mentioned in the Centre’s communication that the money was meant for compensating the loss incurred for supplying free electricity to state’s farmers then we could have diverted the fund to some other use,” he questioned.

On the demand of free electricity by farmers as it was also promised in the ruling SAD’s poll manifesto, the party president explained, “We are very much abiding by our promise and the only difference was that by paying electricity bills, which they will get fully reimbursed in the shape of productivity bonus, our farmers will get uninterrupted power supply for as much time as they required instead of restricted supply for couple of hours daily without paying bills”.

On how the state government will tackle the farmers’ stir, Sukhbir left it to his father. “The chief minister will see what to do,” he said while asserting that his government was totally pro-farmers and the interests of farmers were safeguarded at all costs.

On August 13, the agitating farmers had withdrawn their three-day-old protest after CM’s Principal Secretary Darbara Singh Guru announced the immediate withdrawal of the urban development fund on crops besides assuring early disbursement of Rs 800 crore Central package and withdrawal of electricity bills.