Sikh farmers in Gujarat on Tuesday thanked Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for “raising their issue vigorously” with Gujarat Government, while maintaining that the farmers there were facing no pressure to leave their land.
A 50-member delegation of farmers from the Kutch region, led by their president Yuvraj Singh, called on Badal and expressed their gratitude to him for taking up the issue of displacement with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Responding, Badal reiterated that the State Government was duty bound to safeguard farmers' interests.
The delegation of Sikh farmers from Kutch region of Gujarat described the reports that they were being forced to leave their land holdings as “totally malicious”, “highly distorted” and “unfounded”.
Farmers from Punjab face eviction from Kutch after their lease of land expired. The Chief Minister assured the delegation that the SAD-BJP Government would readily take up any issue related to welfare of Punjabi farmers settled in Gujarat at the highest forum in view of their contribution to overall development of Gujarat.
Responding to an issue raised by the delegation on freezing of land records, the Chief Minister said that he had taken up the matter with Modi, who in turn had assured him that this would be amicably resolved to the satisfaction of Punjabi farmers, the release said.
Of the 784 farmers whose land records have been frozen due to an appeal pending in the Apex Court, 153 belonged to Punjab, it said.
The delegation has invited the Chief Minister to visit Gurdwara Sri Nanak Durbar at Kot lakhpat in Kutch district, the historical place associated with Guru Nanak.
Badal told the farmers that he would soon urge Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, the apex religious body of the Sikhs, to open a school in Kutch region for the farmers' children to learn Punjabi language.