Punjab farmers continue protest on Day 4, tension in some areas
Chandigarh, June 4: Tension prevailed in some parts of Punjab as farmers continued their protest for the fourth day and tried to block other farmers and traders from carrying vegetables, fruits and milk to urban areas.
Local traders clashed with protesting farmers in Gidderbaha town in south-west Punjab on Monday as the latter tried to stop the traders from selling agricultural produce.
Police intervened and two farmers were booked.
Reports from other places also said that protesting farmers forced other farmers and traders from carry vegetables and milk to urban areas. This led to tension at some places.
The protesting farmers continued to dump agricultural produce and milk in vegetable markets and on roads to show their protest, while in some villages and towns, they set up temporary stalls to sell the vegetables at throwaway prices.
The farmers are protesting against the policies of the central government towards them.
Reports of protests by farmers were received from several places in agrarian states Punjab and Haryana.
The farmers, under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), started a 10-day protest on Friday in seven states, imposing a blockade on movement of agriculture produce and milk from rural areas to urban centres.
The farmers' organizations are demanding immediate implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report on farming, giving minimum support price to farmers for their produce, waiving loans of farmers and helping farmers to make agriculture cost effective.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
