CHANDIGARH: Many BJP candidates for Lok Sabha elections faced farmers’ protests in Punjab and Haryana during their campaign.
Former ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, contesting from Amritsar on a BJP ticket, on Saturday faced farmers’ ire while he was holding a roadshow at Gaggomahal village. Farmers wanted him to answer their questions and showed him black flags as he did not stop his cavalcade, said sources.
Farmers have been seeking a law on minimum support price for crops, among demands. They are sore with the BJP as their key demands have not been fulfilled.
Members of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) and other farmers’ unions raised slogans against BJP’s Faridkot candidate Hans Raj Hans during his roadshow.
They cited the latest crackdown on farmers on Punjab-Haryana borders, on their way to Delhi to stage an agitation.
In neighbouring Haryana, BJP MP and Rohtak candidate Arvind Sharma had to leave Sudharana village of Kosli assembly constituency on Friday evening as the locals refused to even hear him out. BJP’s Hisar candidate Ranjit Singh Chautala had to leave a meeting midway at Shamsukh village and cancel another election-related event on Thursday after he was confronted by a group of farmers under the banner of Pagri Sambhal Jatta Kisan Sangharsh Samiti.
Chautala then reached Kuleri village, where again farmers forced him to go back. The Sonepat candidate Mohan Lal Badoli faced similar protests at Nandgarh village in Jind district. Badoli alleged that Congress workers had infiltrated the meeting.
Former Haryana deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala too faced farmers’ protest during his visit to Nara, Gamra, Khanpur and Sindhar villages of Hisar. The farmers showed black flags and blocked his way when he tried to enter the villages. The protesters alleged that Chautala never raised his voice for the 750 farmers who died during the agitation against the farm laws.
Double trouble
BJP’s Hisar candidate Ranjit Singh Chautala had to leave a meeting at Shamsukh village and cancel another after he was confronted by a group of farmers. Chautala then reached Kuleri village, where again farmers forced him to leave.
Chautala snubbed
Former Haryana deputy CM and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala too faced farmers’ ire on his visit to Nara, Gamra, Khanpur and Sindhar villages of Hisar. They said he never raised his voice for the farmers.