Adding to the high political drama going on around the ‘farmer protests’ following the Republic Day violence, the Sarpanch Virk Khurd gram panchayat in Bathinda, Punjab has passed a Tughlaqi Farmaan. The Sarpanch named Manjit Kaur has ordered that at one member from each family in the village will be sent to the protests going on at Delhi borders for a week.
Punjab: Virk Khurd gram panchayat in Bathinda decides to send at least one member of each family to farmers’ protest at Delhi borders for a week
— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2021
“Those who won’t go to protest will be fined Rs 1,500 & those not paying fine will be boycotted,” says Sarpanch Manjit Kaur. (29.01) pic.twitter.com/XZ1n0az38B
In order to put pressure on people to follow her diktat, Kaur has attached monetary sanction to it. Those not following the order will be made to pay a fine of Rs 1,500 and those who fail to pay the fine will be boycotted.
Earlier, a scuffle had broken out between the protestors and the locals at Singhu border after a group of locals gathered there demanding the routes to be cleared. The protestors pelted stones at the locals and policeman was also badly injured in the clashes.
BKU (Lok Shakti) rejoins the protests at Delhi border
Just a day after announcing its withdrawal from the farmer protest, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) re-launched its protest over the farm laws on Friday. BKU (Lok Shakti) Chief Thakur Sheoraj Singh Bhati urged the union’s supporters to reach at Ghazipur border from the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida where they had been camping. Bhati released a video message appealing to the union’s supporters to reach the farmers’ Mahapanchayat that was organised in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Political parties lend support to protests during Mahapanchayat
The Mahapanchayat was convened in Muzaffarnagar by BKU leader Naresh Tikait after his brother and BKU leader Rakesh Tikait broke down on camera refusing to end the protest. It was decided at the Mahapanchayat that the protest will continue. Several political parties including the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have lent their support for the protest. Jayant Chaudhari, son of RLD chief Ajit Singh, participated in the Mahapanchayat.
