CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) today held a protest at few places in Haryana against the death of five farmers in police firing in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur. BKU activists protested in Hisar, Sirsa and Kurukshetra districts and demanded arrest of those responsible for the deaths of the farmers and adequate compensation for the injured.
The outfit's senior leader Gurnam Singh said it was unfortunate that the BJP had ignored its election promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission report.
He said the BKU has raised four demands failing which they will intensify their protests in the coming days. "First, we want President's rule to be imposed in Madhya Pradesh.
Those responsible for firing on farmers be tried for murder, Swaminathan Commission report should be be implemented without any delay and crop loans of farmers across the country be waived," Singh said.
He said that various farmers' organisations will be meeting in Delhi soon, in which leaders from many states will participate.
Meanwhile, members of the youth Congress also protested in Panipat against over the Mandsaur incident. Some other farmer outfits held demonstrations at various places in Haryana to protest the death of the farmers in Madhya Pradesh.
Yesterday, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had said the farmer unrest in Mandsaur "should not be seen in isolation" as there is anger among cultivators because the BJP retracted on its poll promise to implement the Swaminathan Commission report.
The National Commission on Farmers, headed by eminent agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan, in its final report had said, "The Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production.