Police try to stop protesters from reaching the venue of the BJP programme at Company Bagh. After the venue of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s programme in Karnal district was vandalised on Sunday, the state BJP’s protest in Jalandhar too faced opposition from farmers who reached the venue but were stopped by the police.
The BJP completed its protest in Company Bagh under heavy police protection. The party was protesting against the four years’ failure of the Punjab government. The police had deployed a vehicle of water cannons and tippers carrying sandbags to stop the advance of the farmers. The entire area was cordoned off and barricades were put up all around 50 to 100 metres from the protest site. DCP Gurmit singh supervised all security arrangements.
Both the BJP and the farmers had announced their respective programmes beforehand, with farmers saying they would oppose the BJP leaders for passing three farm laws.
When the BJP started their protest, a large number of farmers, including workers of Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) and BKU (Doaba), reached the venue and started removing the barricades but nearly 1,400 policemen stopped them close to the barricades.
State BJP chief Ashwani Sharma said that in the garb of farmers, the Congress goons are coming to disrupt their programmes and farmer leaders should think about it.
Attacking Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Sharma said that the Congress government had neither given jobs to youths nor could it make Punjab ‘drugs-free’. The CM had taken the false oath of ‘Gutka Sahib’ –Captain had taken this oath at Bathinda rally before elections to make Punjab drugs-free within two months of his rule. He said that in the 2022 elections, the BJP will come to power. Former minister Manoranjan Kalia too was present on the occasion.
BKU (Rajwal) general secretary Kulwinder Singh Machhiana, Kashmir Singh and Amarjot Singh Jandiala said that the farmers’ protest was peaceful. The police had deliberately tried to spoil the atmosphere so that the BJP could organise its protest. They said that they will continue their protest against the BJP.
Punjab leader of Bahujan Smaj Front Sukhwinder Singh Kotli flayed the state BJP chief for his remarks against the protesting farmers and farm labourers. He said that a large number of farm labourers attended Sunday’s protest of farmers and calling them goons is a shameful act of the BJP state chief. The farm labourers will oppose BJP leaders and its state president whenever he comes to Jalandhar next time.
The Youth Congress leaders who were going to oppose the BJP leaders too were stopped by the police.