The farmer protests have been extremely political in nature and has been backed by several opposition parties including the Congress party and the Aam Aadmi Party. It has been evident from the very beginning that the protests are not a spontaneous uprising of farmers across the country as is being projected by vested interests. Now, tweets made by the Bharatiya Kisan Union have surfaced which prove abundantly the politically motivated nature of the protests.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union supported the Congress party in Punjab in the Lok Sabha Elections of 2019. At a meeting organized under the leadership of S. Bhupinder Singh Mann, Ex MP, National President of BKU and Chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee and S. Baldev S Mianpur, President BKU Punjab, at Batala, the BKU announced its support for the Congress party.
BKU supports Congress candidates in Punjab. Meeting was organized under leadership of S. Bhupinder Singh Mann Ex MP, National President of BKU, Chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee, S. Baldev S Mianpur President BKU Punjab at Batala in support of Sh. Sunil Jakhar ji pic.twitter.com/gna1FDovJF
— Bhartiya Kisan Union (@BKU_KisanUnion) May 11, 2019
It is pertinent to mention here that Bhupinder Singh Mann is in the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the farm laws and resolve the ongoing protests. Therefore, allegations by certain motivated interests, such as newly minted farmer leader Yogendra Yadav, that it was a ‘Sarkari Committee’ appointed by the Supreme Court fall flat.
There is even a video of Bhupinder Singh Mann shared by Bharatiya Kisan Union where he announces his support for the Congress party.
Please see the live telecast of S. Bhupinder Singh Mann Ex MP, National President of BKU, Chairman of All India Kisan Coordination Committee. BKU decides to support @INCIndia
— Bhartiya Kisan Union (@BKU_KisanUnion) April 15, 2019
After evaluating the Manifesto of #BJPSankalpPatr2019, INC https://t.co/dvtOFfkuyY
Under such circumstances, not only is it dubious to claim that the Supreme Court has appointed a ‘Sarkari Committee’, it further robs the protesting farmers of any justifiable decision to not participate in the committee discussions, which they have said they will not attend. Mann is one of their own and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union and therefore, the protesters cannot invent the excuse that the committee is partisan.
Farmer Union leaders said at a press conference, “All names in the committee are in favour of the farm laws. Even if people opposed to the laws were there in the committee or if SC changes the names tomorrow, we will not agree then too. It is to send our agitation into deep freezer and we are here indefinitely.”
Editor of The Wire Siddharth Varadarajan, too, spread such canards.
‘Journalist’ Rohini Singh compared the committee to government representatives.
Thus, it is evident that there is no justifiable reason for protesting farmers to boycott the Supreme Court appointed committee. The propaganda that has been initiated by usual suspects to undermine the committee even before discussions have occurred makes it abundantly clear that an amicable solution is not being sought by vested interests and usual suspects are attempting to use the current protests to undermine the NDA Government and achieve their personal objectives.
