Tribune News Service
Mansa, October 2
Hours before the Centre revised its decision to procure paddy from tomorrow, two days after it said the process would be delayed this year, scores of farmers under the banner of BKU Ekta Ugrahan staged a protest in Mansa.
Farmers protested outside the residences of several Congress legislators, including Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh in Ropar and MLA Harjot Kamal in Moga.
Farm union leaders rued that many farmers had already brought their produce to the grain markets (mandis) across the state as procurement usually began from October 1 and now the threat of damage to the produce loomed large with the prevailing inclement weather conditions. After being stopped, the farmers sat on a dharna on the road leading to the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Meanwhile, a large number of farmers carried out a protest march and raised slogans against the state and the central governments. The cavalcade of protesting farmers was stopped by heavy police force deployed outside the DC’s office, which the protesters had planned to gherao.
Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha, district unit president, BKU Ugrahan, said: “This was the first step in the direction of moving towards the new agricultural laws. Already the limit of moisture content has been reduced from 17 per cent to 16 per cent and by delaying procurement, the Centre wanted to favour private players who could loot farmers as per their vested business interests.” Inderjit Singh, union general secretary, said: “If the government had already fixed quality parameters to purchase paddy, delaying the procurement on account of heavy rainfall did not make sense.
Massive Protest in Abohar
Abohar: Protesting delay in paddy procurement, farmers on Saturday staged a dharna outside the residence of BJP MLA Arun Narang on the Gaushala Road here.
However, the police did not allow them to go beyond the main street. Heavy police force was deployed along with tight barricades.
Raising slogans against the Centre, Samyukt Kisan Morcha activists claimed that the policies of the Modi government had always been anti-farmer. oc
Farm unions gherao legislators’ houses over procurement issue
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