Punjab’s farmers on Friday virtually came out with a “code of conduct” for all the political parties of the State before the official announcement of the Assembly polls, scheduled to be held in early 2022.
After holding one-to-one marathon meetings with all the major political parties in the State, except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), all the 32 farmers’ organizations of the State asked them not to hold any political gathering or indulge in campaigning in the State during the period; declaring that any party not meeting the terms would be considered “in opposition to the farmers’ movement”.
Besides, the farmers want the ‘poll manifesto’ to be a “legal document” along with a “calendar” giving estimated time by which the poll promises would be fulfilled. At the same time, the state’s farmers have asked all the political leaders, especially the MPs and MLAs, to not to make any statement that may affect the ongoing farmers’ agitation. They have also asked the parliamentarians and legislators to stage dharnas outside Parliament if they in reality our sympathizers.
The commandments came days after the violence broke out between the farmers and the police outside the rally venue of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Moga recently, in which more than 60 farmers and about a dozen cops were left injured.
Fearing that the political rallies or electioneering may “divert the attention” of the people from the ongoing ‘Kisan Morcha’, the farmers’ leaders said that the parties may organize small level public meetings, but want them to shelve their campaigning till the announcement of polls by the Election Commission of India.
“We have asked all the political parties not to hold big rallies till the elections in the State are announce. As of now, all attention is on the Morcha...but when we talk about elections, people’s attention would divert from Morcha which would affect the ongoing agitation,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Rajewal, president Balbir Singh Rajewal, while addressing media on behalf of all farm unions.
“The political rallies divides people along political lines...this may lead to a tense atmosphere in the state...things may also go bad which could threaten the Morcha...so we have just appealed to them that till the time elections are not declared, don’t hold rallies,” he said, while adding that any political outfit going ahead with organizing any rally or big gathering would be considered “opposed to the farmers’ movement”.
Rajewal said that both the ruling Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal did not give any “clear assurance” on the farmers’ call regarding not to hold political rallies, while all other parties agreed. “They said that they would first discuss at the party forum,” he added.
The farmers’ leaders on Friday held back-to-back meetings with all the political parties — Congress, SAD, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), Shiromani Akali Dal (Samyukt), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), among others — separately. The BJP was not invited.
Congress was represented by state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, working president Kuljit Singh Nagra, and general secretary (organization) Pargat Singh. “Had a positive meeting with Samyukt Kisan Morcha…Discussed the way forward!!” tweeted Sidhu after the meeting.
Rajewal said that all parties, who took part in the meeting, asserted that they stand behind farmers in their agitation. “We have appealed them to stage protests in front of the Parliament against the farm laws instead of coming to Singhu or Tikri borders,” he said.
“We asked them about the fake promises they made during elections in the manifesto. We asked them to make it a legal document as that would help in achieving the targets that are stated in the manifesto. Almost all agreed...we also suggested having a calendar in which the estimated time can be given by which the promises would be fulfilled,” said Rajewal.
SAD’s representatives expressed their agreement to the suggestion that the party election manifestos should be treated as legal documents. They also made it clear that they had already mapped out the way ahead as far as fulfilling the promises which had been made to the people by way of the party’s 13-point programme.
On the issue, Aam Aadmi Party representatives said that the party has been demanding from the outset that the manifesto should be taken as a legal document and recognition of the party which did not fulfill its promises in the election manifesto, should be revoked.
“We urge every political to postpone their political rallies for at least another three months or till the time these bills are repealed, as it will put a setback to our andolan. We are sitting on roads since almost 10 months so can’t they postpone the political rallies for just two-three months,” said BKU Kadian’s national spokesperson Ravneet Brar.
RETAIN AGITATION’S NATIONAL CHARACTER BY NOT IMPOSING ANY RESTRICTIONS ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES IN PUNJAB: SAD
Requesting the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to retain the Kisan Andolan’s national character by not imposing any restrictions on political activities in Punjab, the SAD on Friday offered all help to buttress the ongoing agitation on the borders of Delhi.
“A conspiracy is afoot by the Centre to restrict the Kisan movement to Punjab and then suppress it by imposing the President’s Rule in the State. Our fight is with the BJP at the national level. Political activity has not been restricted due to the Kisan Andolan in any other State in the country. Going to the people is as much your right as ours and this should not be restricted,” said SAD’s senior leaders — Prem Singh Chandumajra and Maheshinder Singh Grewal, after the meeting.
Senior Akali leaders, Balwinder Singh Bhundur and Daljit Singh Cheema, reiterated their unstinted support to the Kisan Sangharsh, by declaring not to hold rallies on any day on which the SKM announces a special programme. “We are also ready to support the Sangharsh by sending our cadre to the Delhi border protest sites. The SKM is also free to set a quota for participation from every political party and we will adhere to it,” they said to the farmers’ leaders during the meeting.
Deploring that SAD alone should not be singled out, SAD leaders pointed out how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had held a rally at Baghapurana and Congress in Khemkaran a day before.
LEVEL PLAYING FIELD SHOULD BE THERE FOR ALL POLITICAL PARTIES: AAP
Assuring that AAP’s cadre will always stand by the farmers in the future as well, the state’s main opposition party maintained that it was imperative for it to reach out to the people through political programs.
“Congress party has a government in Punjab, so it would continue its political activities by conducting government programs in the name of the government. Meanwhile, the SAD has hold over the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and can carry out its political activities through it, and the BJP, in case of not joining all these formulas, is free to campaign. In such a scenario, it would not be logical to keep AAP aside,” argued AAP leaders — MLA and Kisan Wing state president Kultar Singh Sandhwan, MLA Aman Arora, MLA Baljinder Kaur, and intellectual wing president Jagtar Singh Sanghera.
AAP leaders said the party would continue to abide by every order of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
MARRIAGE OF CONVINIECE BETWEEN FARMERS AND POLITICAL PARTIES: BJP
The saffron party, which was not invited by the farmers for holding talks, on Friday accused the farmers and the “so-called political parties” of being in a “marriage of convenience” against the BJP. BJP’s senior leader Prof Rajinder Bhandari lashed out at the state farmers’ leaders, saying, “If they had called us, we would have gone (for the meeting). But they did not call us...all these closed doors meeting have made it clear that it is a marriage of convenience between these so-called political parties and the farmers...Their match is fixed...They said that they would not take support of any political party, then what is all this now...Their agenda is deflated.”