Farmers hold protests in Haryana targeting events of BJP leaders

CHANDIGARH: Farmers held protests at various places in Haryana on Sunday targeting events of BJP leaders, raising slogans against the Centre and demanding the three contentious farm laws be rolled back.

At one such protest in Fatehabad, the protesters removed metal barricades put up by the police as they marched towards a venue where Haryana Cooperation Minister Banwari Lal and Sirsa MP Sunita Duggal were attending a party function.

When they were stopped from entering the venue, the police said, some of the protesters removed the barricades and raised slogans.

Those protesters who were carrying black flags and raising slogans against the BJP-led government were not allowed to reach the venue in the first place.

Another protest was held in Jhajjar, where farmers assembled when they learnt that state BJP chief O P Dhankar was to attend a party event there later in the day.

With black flags in their hands, the protesters said they would not allow the BJP or its ally JJP to hold functions unless the farm laws are repealed.

In Sirsa too, farmers carrying black flags assembled and raised slogans against the government.

They claimed that they had gathered there to oppose a function being organised by the BJP.

In Ambala, a large number of protesters gathered on the Ambala-Saha road when they learnt that the district unit of the BJP was holding a function.

Protesting farmers have been opposing public functions of the BJP and the JJP in the state.

On Saturday, farmers clashed with police when they tried to force their way through barricades towards a venue at Jagadhari in Yamunanagar district where Haryana minister Mool Chand Sharma was to address a meeting.

Protests were also held in Hisar against Haryana BJP chief Dhankar and in Jind against state minister Kamlesh Dhanda.

Speaking to reporters in Punjab's Gurdaspur on Sunday, Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said it has been more than seven months since farmers started their protest at Delhi's borders, but the government was not listening to them.

Chaduni led a march of farmers on various vehicles from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to the Singhu border protest site.

"This agitation has been going on for several months now, but the Centre is not listening to the farmers.

But the BJP-led government is mistaken if it thinks this agitation will die down.

In fact, it is gaining more and more strength, and farmers will rest only when these laws are scrapped," he said.

Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders for over seven months in protest against three agri laws.

The three laws – The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 – were passed by Parliament in September last year.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the 'mandi' and the MSP procurement systems, and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even though the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.