CHANDIGARH: Farmers from 23 Punjab farmer unions havestarted an indefinite agitation against the state government on the lines of the protest against farm laws in Delhi. They have stationed themselves at Chandigarh border after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann leftfor Delhi without meeting them.
The farmer leaders were told to meet a governmentdelegation but they refused, thus leading to a stand-off. The farming communityhas rejected the schedule of power supply for the upcoming paddy sowingseason issued by the government.
Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) General SecretaryHarinder Singh Lakhowal said they will hold their ‘pakka morcha’ right at the site where they have been stopped. “We will have to break the barriers and move to Chandigarh if issues are not resolved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mann is in Delhi to meet AAP nationalconvenor Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the issue. “We have given a one-day ultimatum to the government.We do not want to meet anyone but the CM. He had assured us last month that hewill meet our demands in 10 days,’’ said a farmer leader.
Farmers from various parts of Punjab had assembledat Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali, carrying with them essential items like cookinggas cylinders, grocery, and fans. They broke the first layer of barricades asthey moved towards the Chandigarh-Mohali border.After being stopped by the police, they sat on the protest.
Another senior farmer leader, Jagjit SinghDallewal, said, “Wewill sit here peacefully, like the agitation in Delhi.’’Farmers are demanding a bonus of `500 perquintal on wheat as their yield has dropped because of heat wave. They are against the decision to sow paddy in a staggered manner from June 18 to reduce power burden and conserve water.