After the Punjab Government’s written assurance to fulfill their demands, the farmers — protesting outside the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s house in Sangrur under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) — on Friday announced to call off their 21-day-long protest on Saturday afternoon.
The decision to call off the protest came after the Government gave in writing detailing how and when the farmers’ demands will be implemented, which include release of compensation to farmers for their damaged crops, compensation to farmers for the death of their cattle due to lumpy skin disease, repealing the law against levelling the field, strict action against big industries contaminating water, Rs 200 per quintal bonus for managing stubble and strict action against farmers who set stubble on fire, not making mining act applicable in uneven areas like Bathinda, among others.
The decision was announced by the state Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal which was later confirmed by the BKU Ekta Ugrahan president Joginder Singh Ugrahan on Friday afternoon after both the sides held an hour-long meeting at Patiala circuit house.
Notably, thousands of farmers, led by the Ugrahan group, had been protesting outside the Chief Minister’s house since October 9. The protesting farmers had warned the State Government to take strong steps from October 29 if their demands were not met, following which the Aam Aadmi party (AAP) swung into action.
Moreover, the farmers’ protest, that too outside the Chief Minister’s residence for over a fortnight now, was impacting the AAP’s election campaign in the neighbouring poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and also Gujarat.
The AAP Government came under severe criticism after two farmers had died at the protest site — one because of a snake bite and another died of a heart attack. In fact, the farmers, staging protest outside the Chief Minister’s rented house in Sangrur’s Dreamland Housing Colony day-in and day-out, also celebrated Diwali on roads.
After an elaborate meeting with a five-member committee of BKU Ugrahan, the Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the farmers and government have reached a consensus on all the demands of the farmers after a meeting with Union leaders of BKU Ugrahan, and the farmers have agreed to call off their protest.
Meanwhile, farmer union leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said that the government had agreed to fulfil their demands and they have got a written assurance from the government that their demands will be fulfilled, therefore, “we are calling off the protest”.
On Saturday, the farmers will lift their dharna after holding a ‘victory rally’ at the protest site. Earlier, the protesting farmers had given a call for a massive gathering on October 29 against the AAP Government’s apathetic attitude against the farmers.
Among the major demands, the farmers demanded compensation for damaged cotton crops due to pink bollworms and white flies, relaxation of moisture norms for paddy crops coming in mandis.
Available information suggests that the Government has agreed on almost every demand in writing. The Minister has assured the five-member panel to provide a time-bound detail by Saturday afternoon.
Two Farmers, Died at Protest Site, to be Cremated on Sunday
Two farmers, 65-year-old Gurcharan Singh and 75-year-old Karnail Singh Akai — who died at the protest site, would be cremated on Sunday. While Gurcharan Singh died of a snake bite on October 13, Karnail Singh of Akai village in Sangrur died of a heart attack on October 21. The protesting farmers had refused to cremate their bodies, which have been kept in the mortuary of Patiala’s Rajendra Medical College and Hospital. As the State Government agreed to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to each, provide a government job to one member of each family and waive of farm loan of these families, their bodies will be cremated on Sunday.