As per a report of the Indian Express, the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) are now holding protests outside the residences of three senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in the state of Punjab. A two-day dharna, starting February 17, will be held outside the house of BJP Punjab president Sunil Jakhar in Fazilka’s Panjkosi village. In addition to this, protests were also launched outside the houses of BJP leaders Captain Amarinder Singh in Patiala and Kewal Dhillon in Barnala.  These protests will be against the state brutality being shown to the farmers at the Shambu border, where many farmers have sustained serious injuries and one had died, as well as in support of the various demands being raised by them, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

In addition to these three sit-in protests, the union has also stated that they will be holding protests at toll plazas in the state as their extension of support to the “Delhi Chalo” call.

Meanwhile, the state is also intensifying their already excessive actions of suppression.

As per a report of the Hindustan Times, around 100 farmers from different farmers associations were arrested at Thanjavur Railway station, Tamil Nadu on the morning of February 17 as they tried to stage a ‘rail roko’ protest in front of the Cholan Express. The ‘rail roko’ protest is also in solidarity with the farmers’ agitation in New Delhi and against the police action by Haryana Police.

In addition to this, on February 16, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and banned any strikes by government employees in all State government departments, corporations, and authorities for a period of six months. The said decision is another state tactic to repress dissent. Notably, ESMA gives the police the power to arrest any such employees found to be violating provisions and conducting strikes without a warrant and imprisonment for a term which may extend up to one year or a fine which may extend to ₹1,000 or both, to any person who instigated a strike which was illegal under the Act.

On the other hand, Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has raised a demand for the union government to bring an Ordinance on giving a legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP). The demand comes a day before the fourth round of talks between farm leaders and Union ministers over their various demands.

As per the report of the PTI, Pandher pointed to the power that the union government hold in taking “political” decisions and said, “If it (Centre) brings an ordinance and it can bring it overnight, if it wants so. If the government wants resolution of farmers’ protest, then it should bring out an ordinance with an immediate effect that it will enact a law on MSP, then discussion can proceed further.”

Related:

Day 4 of Farmer Protest: Excessive state force at protestors leads to death of elderly farmer, first death to be reported as of now

Bharat Bandh: Nationwide strike by farmers sees highways blocked, toll plazas opened up, rallies held

Day 3 of Farmers’ Protest: More than 100 farmers injured by rubber bullets, solidarity protests by BKU and SKM in Punjab

Farmers Protest: Braving tear gas, blockades, state obstructions, farmers journey towards Delhi to demand law on MSP

Farmers’ Protest: Physical repression, prohibitory orders, Delhi entry blocked – Déjà Vu?

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On the call of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), thousands of farmers, farm labourers, women, youth and students thronged to Amritsar to protest and hold demonstration against the on-going propaganda for the G-20 summit to be held in Delhi in September this year, demanding that agriculture, industry, education, health, electricity and water etc. should remain free of the tyranny of the imperialist powers.

The meeting also demanded scrapping of “the anti-people” agreements signed with the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Addressing the gathering at the occasion of the protest demonstration, leaders Jogindar Singh Ugrahan and Sukhdev singh Kokri Kalan classified the G-20 platform as one for mortgaging the country in the hands of imperialists, adding, various conferences being organised in India, including the one in Amritsar, were being held to carve a strategy for plundering the country and Punjab.

They said that during G-20 summit, schemes are to be designed for further intensifying of exploitation by the imperialist countries by mercilessly subordinating open education sector fully to the big powers. It would seek further amendments in labour laws so as to strangulate the toiling masses.

They termed the claims of the state government about development of Punjab with the help of foreign investment as false and misleading. They affirmed that chief minister Bhagwant Mann was repeating the history of the colonial era by betraying martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru and giving sanction to imperialism by literally inviting them to the doorsteps.

According to them, foreign investment paves the path for the plunder of the rich natural resources and exploitation of labour in order suit the needs of the imperialists. It will be an instrument of destruction rather than that of development.

The dwindling industry of Punjab and the crisis-ridden agriculture are in turmoil under the sins of the new economic and industrial policies implemented under the agreements signed through such platforms, they opined, adding, the black agriculture laws were by the Central government were under pressure of imperialist organisations WTO.

The move too get rid of government-controlled agricultural markets, privatisation of state electricity boards, import of foreign wheat, opening of private universities, ruining the state education system by introducing new education policy, privatisation of water distribution – all these, they said, are part of the strategy of imperialist control.

They further said that on one hand the Punjab government is claiming to work out ways to retrieve agriculture from crisis, but on the other hand its policies are pushing the state agriculture into crisis. They demanded that state government should design a new agriculture policy in accordance with the draft given by the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan).

The design is to plunder the natural resources and labour power of the country through the platforms supported by G-20 countries

Another senior leader Shingara Singh Maan said that the group of 20 countries are currently in a leading role in working out exploitative formulations of WTO, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in order to impose them on backward countries in name of development.

Agreements are sought to be signed for further strengthening the power of multinational companies in agriculture, industry and trade of countries, said Maan, adding, the design is to plunder the natural resources and labour power of the country through these platforms. In fact, G-20 is the platform to mortgage the country in the hands of the imperialists.

Woman leader Harrinder Kaur Bindu, while summarising the role of valiant women like Gulab Kaur and Rani Jhansi, in the struggle against the British colonial rule, declared the support of women agriculturalists against the new imperialist policies and decisions sought to be supported by the government.

Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union leader Lachhman Singh Sewewala, Hushiar singh Salemgarh, leader of PSU Shaheed Randhawa and Ashwni Ghudha, leader of the Naujvan Bharat Sabha pledged support to the protest. They insisted that issues like unemployment, debt, suicides and pollution being faced by workers, farmers, youth and common people have their roots planted in foreign lands – those who are members of the f the G-20 group.

*Freelance journalist who has covered mass movements across India and has frequently toured Punjab

Courtesy: https://www.counterview.net

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