Unions vs Punjab govt: Ties hit another low, farm leaders accept CM Bhagwant Mann's challenge
Bathinda: The fast-worsening ties between farm unions and the Punjab govt have hit another low, with chief minister
Bhagwant Mann
being the primary provocateur this time
Speaking in Bathinda on Thursday, Mann accused leaders of farm unions of making money through illegal means and using that wealth to acquire huge tracts of land, and shares in hospitals and hotels.
He even challenged farm unionists to a debate on the agrarian crisis. Angered by the statement, farm leaders have accused the CM of repeatedly insulting them.
Senior farm leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Joginder Singh Ugrahan have accepted the CM's challenge and asked him to fix the place, date and time for an open debate on agrarian issues. They said, in a statement, that they are eager to listen to him and raise issues.
Other farm unions accused Mann of "dancing to the tunes of the central govt and corporates". "If he has a problem with farmer organisations or their leaders, he should come out with facts, but should not try to show them in a bad light without proof and try to create a wedge between urban people and farmers. Such behaviour clearly shows how arrogant he has become, and this arrogance will not last long," said farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) secretary Shingara Singh Mann.
by Taboola
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Kirti Kisan Union general secretary Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala said by going beyond the state's financial resources in making claims of acquiring 24,000 acres of land for developing urban estates in Ludhiana, Mann was unmasking his "pro-corporate face". "He knows that with this, the farmers will be hit the hardest and will raise a hue and cry. In a pre-emptive move, he is trying to corner them and wants to remove the tag of running a soft govt which is always taking U-turns.
Now he wants to show that he is heading a strong govt that can take on the mighty farmer movement. Apart from this, he is annoyed that when opposition parties have failed in discharging their duties in raising issues and opposing the govt, farmers are acting strongly, even more than opposition parties, and he is taking on the farm groups," said Deep Singh Wala.
Coldest ties in a long time
The relationship between Punjab govt and farm unions had never been so sore before.
When it came to farmers, Punjab chief ministers in the past were restrained, especially in showcasing their body language and words, in dealing with protesting farmers.
In his initial days, CM Bhagwant Mann mirrored this tact. During the initial part of the Delhi Chalo 2 on the borders of Punjab and Haryana, Mann's statements were mostly in faviour of farmers.
This, however, changed on March 3, when Mann invited farm groups affiliated with Sanyukt Kisan Morcha for talks.
He showed his annoyance about the call by farmers for a weeklong protest in Chandigarh from March 5 in support of their demands and used harsh words for them.
Some days later, the flashpoint was reached when leaders of farm forums Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha were arrested, and protest morchas at Shambhu and Khanauri were demolished, with complaints of valuable items of farmers, including tractor-trailers, going missing.
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