RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh to protest in Madhya Pradesh for MSP regime
Indore, Dec 14: The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) said it would protest on Tuesday on two highways in Madhya Pradesh in support of the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism with over 10,000 farmers expected to take part, a functionary said on Monday.
Incidentally, MP agriculture minister Kamal Patel had said that the BJP would be organising farmer meets in the state from Tuesday to dispel "misconceptions" about the Centre's new farm laws.
Those protesting against the three farm laws have claimed they are aimed at doing away with the MSP and mandi mechanisms and give corporates a dominant role in the sector.
"Farmers of western Madhya Pradesh, known for major cotton harvests, are forced to sell their produce below MSP.
In this region, even the procurement centre of Cotton Corporation of India has not come up," Kamal Singh Anjana of the BKS' Malwa Prant (Indore and Ujjain divisions) said.
"Maize too is being sold below MSP in western MP. On the call of the BKS, over 10,000 farmers will protest on national highway number 3 (Mumbai-Agra road) in Dhar and on Indore-Icchapur state highway in Khandwa," he said, adding that the BKS has already said some changes should be made in the new farm laws.
"For ensuring procurement through MSP and for other demands, we have written nearly four lakh letters to the president and prime minister from Madhya Pradesh," he added.
Meanwhile, Khandwa BJP MP and former president of MP BJP unit Nandkumar Chauhan said at a press conference that the new laws were for the benefit of farmers.
Asked about farmers not getting MSP for cotton and maize, Chauhan said, "recent rains have made the produce moist and this has caused some hurdles in their procurement".
To another query on the BKS' protest, Chauhan said India is a democracy and if the RSS-backed BKS wants to protest on farmers' issues, "it would manifest that it is an active organisation".
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
