The farmers are set to hit the streets once again if their demands are not met in the scheduled meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday. Over a dozen organisations of farmers and farm labourers have warned of protest in Badal’s native village, Badal, from January 6.
Kissan Sangharsh Committee (KSC) president Satnam Singh Pannu said that the meeting would be held on Thursday around 10.30 am wherein they would raise various sensitive issues concerned with farmer and labour classes. “If pending issues are not addressed seriously and resolved in the meeting, the stakeholders will stage a permanent dharna at Badal village, home village of Parkash Singh Badal, from January 6,” he said.
Their demands include bonus to the growers of basmati PUSA-1509 and basmati PUSA-1121 as compensation for facing huge financial loss due to low prize of these crops. “Issue of forming Basmati Trading Corporation by setting minimum support price for basmati varieties will also be taken,” he said.
lashing out at State Agriculture Minister Tota Singh, Pannu said that it was shameful for the Government that he still enjoyed freedom despite his ‘involvement’ in pesticides scam which created deep mess for cotton growers and forced some of them to commit suicide. For the loss for cotton crop, he sought compensation of `40,000 per acre to farmers and `20,000 to labourers. “The CM will also be asked not to implement anti-democratic ‘Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 2014’ which would crushed people’s right to protest,” he added.