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By: Express News Service | New Delhi |
December 15, 2020 1:04:11 am
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: ANI)PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi will interact with farmers in Kutch, including those from Punjab, during his visit to the border district on Tuesday to lay the foundation stone of a 30,000-megawatt (MW) hybrid renewable energy park, four seawater desalination plants and a modern milk processing plant of Sarhad Dairy.
The PM will land in Kutch district headquarters Bhuj and fly to Tent City, the venue of the annual Rann Utsav at Dhordo village near Khavda, around 80 km west of Bhuj.
“At Dhordo, the Prime Mini-ster will interact with progressive farmers of Kutch as well as Punjabi farmers on Kutch border,” an official release from the information department of Gujarat government stated on Monday.
Farmers, largely from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping on Delhi border, demanding the repeal of farm laws enacted recently. As many as 245 Sikh farmers from Punjab and Haryana who own land in Kutch have been fighting a legal battle for 10 years after the state government froze the records of their land, stating that they cannot own agricultural land in Gujarat since they are not native of the state.
“An appeal filed by the Gujarat government against the Gujarat High Court verdict ordering de-freezing of our land records has been awaiting judgement,” said Lasman Singh Brar, one of the leaders of Sikh farmers in Kutch fighting the legal battle.
Surendra Singh Bhullar, another Sikh farmer leader, said that he had “no idea” about farmers being invited at the PM’s event. “Modi didn’t listen to us when he was the chief minister of Gujarat… so one cannot expect him to listen to us as the PM,” said Bhullar.
Bhavya Verma, district development officer of Kutch, said his office had no role in assembling the delegation. “Everything is being handled by the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Verma.