Mixed response to nationwide farmers' protest

The nationwide farmers’ protest evoked a mixed response in Punjab on the first day of the 10-day-long agitation against Centre’s “anti-farmer policies”.

While some of the farmers observed the bandh call seriously and stopped the supply of vegetables, fruits, milk and other items to various the towns and cities, many of them reached mandis with fruits and vegetables as usual. However, some stray incidents of growers being forcibly stopped were also reported.

Chandigarh’s Sector-26 grain market continued to be flooded with farm produce and the arthiyas (commission agents) reported no shortage of vegetable and fruit supply.

It has been leant that farmers continued with their normal business and sold their produce in the mandis. However, in Samrala, kisan union leaders barged into vegetable markets and hampered the business.

In Macchiwara, the protestors restrained the milkmen and spilled their produce on to the roads — the video regarding which has also gone viral on the ocial media.

Denying the charges, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said that no farmer was forced by anyone to stop bringing their produce.

“The farmers have so much anger against the Central Government that they became a part of this agitation on their own…We are getting very good response from fellow farmers for their support to this agitation. At majority of places in the state, farmers have stopped bringing vegetables, milk and other items to the cities for sale,” he claimed.

The decision to stop supplies starting from June 1 till 10 was taken by farmers under the banner of Kisan Ekta Manch and Rashtriya Kisan Maha Sangh. A meeting of the coordination committee of these two farmers' organizations, which are umbrella bodies of 172 farmers' outfits, was held last month to give final shape to the programme.

Rajewal claimed that not only in Punjab and Haryana, farmers in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and some other states were also not selling their produce in cities. “During the 10-day long protest, the farmers will stay in their villages and will not go to cities for supplying their produce,” he said.

“However, they can sell their produce among villagers,” he said, adding that the first day of their agitation had been peaceful so far.

The farmers have been demanding minimum income guarantee scheme, implementation of Swaminathan Commission report and waiver of farmers' debt, among other things.

Rajewal said: “We were forced to take this decision as the central government failed to help farming community which was in the crisis at this moment.”Sidhu supports farmers demonstration, holds Centre responsible

Patto (Fatehgarh Sahib): Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday visited Patto village in Fatehgarh Sahib to purchase milk and vegetables from a farmer, Gursharan Singh. He was accompanied by local MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra and Bassi Pathana MLA Gurpreet Singh GP.

“By purchasing milk and vegetables today from the farmers, I want to send a loud and clear message about the importance of the farmers,” he said.

Lashing out at the Centre, Sidhu said that the report of Swaminathan Commission is not being implemented and the farmers are not getting adequate price for their crops leading to escalation in suicides by the farmers.

Advocating fixing MSP of the crops as per the oil prices, Sidhu said that during past 25 years, the oil prices have increased 12 fold whereas the MSP has only increased by five percent.

Sidhu said that he has come to support the farmers’ demonstration and be the one to voice their due rights. “By purchasing milk and vegetables from the farmers, I am signaling that this is high time we pay attention to the farming community. We want to convey to the farmers that government stands shoulder to shoulder with them,” he added.