Will protest outside Parliament every day during monsoon session: Samyukt Kisan Morcha
New Delhi, Jul 4: A group of around 200 farmers will protest against the Centre's three farm laws outside Parliament every day during the monsoon session, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced on Sunday.
The umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions said at a press conference that two days before the session begins, a "chetavani patra (warning letter)" will be given to all opposition MPs to protest the laws inside the House.
"We will also ask the opposition MPs on July 17 to raise the issue every day inside the House while we will sit outside in protest. We will tell them not to benefit the Centre by walking out of a session. Don't let the session run till the government addresses the issue," farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said.
Parliament's monsoon session is set to begin on July 19.
"We will be protesting outside Parliament continuously till they hear our demands," Rajewal said.
He added that five people from each farmer union would be taken to join the protest.
The SKM also called for a nationwide protest on July 8 against rising prices of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders.
It asked people to come out and park their vehicles along state and national highways from 10 am till 12 pm.
"Whatever vehicle you have, tractor, trolley, car, scooter, just bring it to the nearest state or national highway and park it there. But don't create a traffic jam," Rajewal said.
The farmer leader also appealed to people to "blow the horn of their vehicles" for eight minutes at 12 pm.
He also asked for LPG cylinders to be brought to the protest.
"I ask all the women to bring out their gas cylinders to the roads and be a part of the protest," Rajewal said.
Responding to a question regarding Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's recent statement that the government was ready to hold talks with the farmers, Rajewal said they "will not talk with conditions".
"The leaders want to talk about farm laws with conditions, we are ready to talk with them but only if they agree to repeal the laws," Rajewal said.
On July 1, Tomar had asserted that the three central agriculture laws would bring revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers, and made it clear that the government was ready to hold talks with the protesting cultivators, except on the demand of the repeal of these laws.
Farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November 2020, demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.
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Mann has 'understanding' with Amit Shah to split AAP after Lok Sabha polls, claims SAD chief Badal
Sangrur (Punjab), May 11: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has an "understanding" with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to split AAP into a separate Punjab unit after the elections, like Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde did in Maharashtra, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed on Saturday.
Badal made the claim while addressing rallies at Sunam and Dhuri for the Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Sangrur candidate Iqbal Singh Jhundan.
"Bhagwant Mann has compromised with the BJP as he felt he would also be arrested like his boss (Arvind) Kejriwal because he had also perpetrated the same liquor scam as done by AAP in Delhi. This understanding has saved him from arrest," Badal alleged.
Shiv Sena leader Shinde became Maharashtra chief minister after parting ways with Uddhav Thackeray and forming an alliance with the BJP.
The Election Commission of India has since recognised the Shinde faction as officially representing the Shiv Sena while the Thackeray-led faction has been using the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) name.
The Shiromani Akali Dal chief also asserted that no Delhi-based party can be trusted with votes.
"Bhagwant Mann has opened channels with both the BJP and the Congress to hedge his bet. While he has an informal understanding with the BJP, he has also aligned with the Congress in Punjab and is putting up a friendly fight in most constituencies," Badal said.
He cited how AAP is contesting against the Congress in Punjab but Mann has been campaigning for the grand old party in Chandigarh and Haryana.
AAP and the Congress are constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc. While the two parties are contesting the Lok Sabha elections independently in Punjab, they have an alliance in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Urging Punjabis to "seal the borders" for all Delhi-based parties, Badal said, "The AAP government in Punjab and the Union government colluded to prevent our farmers from marching to Delhi. This led to firing of tear gas shells at our farmers and even firing of rubber bullets. Now it is your turn to seal the borders of Punjab with your votes."
He also made a case for trusting the Shiromani Akali Dal -- a home-grown party of Punjab.
Badal said the Shiromani Akali Dal has always stood for safeguarding the interests of Punjab and decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone when it became clear that the BJP was not ready to resolve any of the pending grievances of the farmers or the Sikh community.
He also announced that once the Shiromani Akali Dal is elected to power, it will release tubewell connections to all agriculturists who do not have a single connection in their name.
He also promised that all social welfare schemes that have been curtailed by successive Congress and AAP governments would be revived in totality.
