Upset over crackdown on farmers, BKU (Ugrahan) to skip meeting called by Punjab govt
Chandigarh (PTI): Amid the crackdown on the protesting farmers by Punjab Police, Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) has said it would not be part of a meeting with farmers leaders called by the Punjab government on Friday.
On Thursday, leaders of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) said the Punjab government has invited them for a meeting with state Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Friday.
BKU (Ugrahan) was also invited to the meeting. The invitation came ahead of the SKM's call for a march to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on March 26.
BKU (Ugrahan) said while it favours dialogues to resolve any issue, "the question arises whether having the meeting under these circumstances (detention of farmers) is right".
"What is the guarantee that those invited for the talks will not be arrested later," BKU (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan asked in a video message.
"...So, we have decided that we will not be part of the meeting," the BKU chief said.
The SKM and the BKU (Ugrahan) were not part of the over a year-long farmers' protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Haryana and Punjab.
The SKM (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) spearheaded the protests since February last year before Punjab Police cleared the two protest sites on Wednesday.
The police also detained several protesting farmers, including some prominent leaders such as Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal in Mohali, and demolished all the temporary structures at both the border points, leading to traffic restoration on the busy Shambhu-Ambala highway after more than a year.
Vehicular movement on the Khanauri border point is also set to resume.
The BKU (Ugrahan) chief also claimed that many farmers owing allegiance to the SKM were taken into custody on Thursday during protests at some parts of Punjab against the police action.
It is still not clear how many farmers have been arrested by the police, he said.
The SKM is demanding implementation of the state's agricultural policy, purchase of six crops at MSP by the state government, a legal framework for debt relief after coordinating with the Centre, ownership rights of land tillers, and payment of sugarcane arrears.
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Kalaburagi: ‘Vartha Bharati’ Kalyana Karnataka edition launched
Kalaburagi: The Kalyana Karnataka edition of the Kannada daily Vartha Bharati was launched on Saturday at a grand programme held at Dr S M Pandit Rangamandira in Kalaburagi.
The new edition was formally launched by The Wire Editor-in-Chief Siddharth Varadarajan. The programme was inaugurated by Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Dr U T Khader.
Multilingual actor and social activist Prakash Raj, Minister for Small Industries and Public Enterprises Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Minister for Municipal Administration and Haj Rahim Khan, Vice-Chairperson of the State Policy and Planning Commission and Aland MLA B R Patil, Chairman of the State Waqf Board and Sajjada Nashin of the Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah Hazrat Syed Muhammad Ali Al Hussaini, and Kalaburagi South MLA Allamaprabhu Patil were present as chief guests.
Also present on the dais were Koraneswara Mahaswamiji of the Tontadarya Anubhava Mantapa, Aland; Bishop of Kalaburagi Rev Fr Robert Miranda; Pujya Bhante Varajyothi of Anandur; social activist K Neela; farmers’ leader Chamarasa Mali Patil; DSS State Convenor D G Sagar; and activist and singer Ambanna Arolikar as special guests.
Vartha Bharati Founder Director Yaseen Malpe delivered the introductory address. H.M. Afroz Assadi, President of Madhyama Communications Ltd presided over the programme. Editor-in-Chief Abdussalam Puthige was also present.
Progressive thinkers, social activists, farmers, workers, student organisation activists, and readers and viewers from various districts and taluks participated in the programme.
