CHANDIGARH: Addressing farmers at Khanauri border during the Kisan Mahapanchayat organised to mark one year of farmers' protests 2.0, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said migration to other countries is a sign of growing unemployment in India.
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed in Amritsar last week —the first such batch of Indians deported under Donald Trump’s latest crackdown on illegal immigration.
Out of these, 30 were from Punjab and 33 from Haryana.
Dallewal talked about the deportation at the meeting on Wednesday.
He said, "The US is ready to deport more Indians. People are criticising those who went to the US in this way (dunki route). But the question is, why did they have to go like this?"
Dallewal said that if India's agriculture sector was self-reliant and strong, job opportunities could have been generated within the country.
"If agriculture was profitable, then there is no need for our youth to go abroad," he said, adding that, "The youth had gone abroad and now they are being deported."
Dallewal further said, "If MSP is guaranteed and the Swaminathan report implemented, agriculture will be the biggest source of employment in the country."
He added that the farmers' fight for better policies is also for the future of the youth.
Dallewal also requested the government to "hold the hand of youth who have been deported."
"Nothing has been done by the central and state governments till date. It is not right. I again request the farmers to make this protest strong so that the youth get jobs in their own country."
Dallewal added that he will try to meet with the centre on February 14, if his health allows.
Meanwhile, talks between the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders and the Kisan Mazdoor Manch (KMM) once again remained inconclusive.
In the three-hour-long meeting held here between the SKM and KMM, they have only agreed to synchronise farmer protests. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal did not take part in the talks.
KMM will likely take up the proposal with SKM (Non-Political) farmer leaders, who have been protesting at the Khanauri border for a year now.
Dallewal, the convener of the SKM (Non-Political), has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point since November 26 last year in support of various demands including a legal guarantee to minimum support price for crops.
Today's talks were the third round of discussion between the farmers' unions to forge unity ahead of the meeting with the union ministers on February 14 to end the impasse, ever since talks between the two sides broke in February last year without reaching any conclusion.
Meanwhile, KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said they would protest any move by Punjab Government to impose stamp duty on transfer of property to next of kin.
This proposal is to come up for discussion in the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday.