The three-day long protest of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ugrahan in the hometown of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, ended today. The protest was against the Punjab government’s failure to effectively tackle the Covid pandemic.
Addressing the gathering, BKU Leader, Balbir Singh Rajewal appealed to the farmers to join the Delhi Dharna in maximum numbers. He said that it was the result of the farmers' anger that the BJP had lost the assembly elections in West Bengal.
He said that even in the panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, the defeat of BJP was due to the farmers. He said that if the Union government did not repeal the three agriculture laws and did not enact laws for procurement of crops on MSP, he would campaign against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
Rajewal further said that the Punjab government would also have to change its way of working, otherwise the protesting farmers will start campaign against the Captain-led-Congress government in Punjab.
He said that both the Central and State Governments have failed to manage the Covid-19 crisis and are equally responsible for farmers’ miseries.
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It is pertinent to mention here that the farmers installed tents and held a three-day long protest in Patiala (days and nights). The union leaders said that during the protest all Covid-related norms were followed like social distancing was maintained, face masks were used and the area was sanitized time-to-time.
Besides, only a few people stayed at the venue of protest at night and others were requested to stay back home.
“There were more than 1,500 people; they all maintained the social distancing, were carrying masks, sanitizers and water bottles”, the farm leaders said.
BKU Ekta Ugrahan general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikaln said, “We are conducting this protest in Chief Minister’s city by following all the COVID protocols. The Central Government is blaming the farmers for the COVID spread, but in reality, it has done nothing to control the pandemic. In fact, Punjab Government too has done negligible work.”
He added, “Despite WHO warning regarding the peak in August last year, nothing was done while people were left to die… they just talk about what they will do but did nothing.”
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He further said, “The people are bearing the brunt because of the Government’s failure on various fronts. Doctors are not available in several villages. Government hospitals have ventilators, but lack technical staff to run them. Private hospitals are fleecing the patients.”