
Exclude Punjab representatives or face boycott of May 4 meet: Farmers to Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Amritsar: Farmer leaders have asked
Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
to exclude Punjab govt representatives from the May 4 meeting in Chandigarh or face a boycott while demanding Rs 50,000 per acre as compensation for crop losses.
The demand was made in a letter sent to the minister on Monday, according to Sarvan Singh Pandher of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.
The letter was signed by several farmer leaders, including Pandher, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Abhimanyu Kohad, Sukhjit Singh Hardojhandae, Sukhdev Singh Bhojraj, Manjit Singh Rai, Sukhwinder Kaur, and Balwant Singh Baharamkae. "Let us see what the agriculture minister answers," Pandher said.
The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) have accused the Punjab govt of acting deceitfully by arresting farmers shortly after a meeting held with them on March 19 and violently ending their peaceful protests at the Shambhu and Data Singh Wala–Khanauri inter-state borders.
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Pandher said that they intend to raise the issue directly with chief minister Bhagwant Mann during his visit to Khalsa College on May 2.
On the recent damage to standing crops in incidents of fire and hailstorms, Pandher said they urge the state govt to provide compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre to affected farmers."
Regarding their upcoming programme, he said that on May 6, farmers will stage a gherao at the police station near the Shambhu border, demanding the suspension of the police officer responsible for ordering the lathicharge against them.
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The Wire
26 minutes ago
- The Wire
Why Mehbooba Mufti's Meeting With LG Manoj Sinha Has Set Off Speculation
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Politics Why Mehbooba Mufti's Meeting With LG Manoj Sinha Has Set Off Speculation Jehangir Ali 7 minutes ago The move was unusual enough for some political analysts to suggest that the PDP, a party with a 'soft separatist' agenda, is finally coming to terms with the 'harsh realities of J&K.' Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addresses a press conference after a meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan, in Srinagar, Monday, June 2, 2025. Photo: PTI Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now Srinagar: Is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti trying to rebuild the bridges with the Bhartiya Janta Party-led Union government that she and her party leaders spent six years tearing down after the reading down of Article 370? In an unusual political departure, Mufti called on the lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar on June 2 – something which sparked speculation in Jammu and Kashmir. Some political analysts suggest that the PDP, a party with a 'soft separatist' agenda, is finally coming to terms with the 'harsh realities in J&K' against the backdrop of the Pahalgam massacre which has temporarily overshadowed the political dialogue over the restoration of J&K's statehood. 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'Relevant' A Srinagar-based senior political analyst who wished not to be named said that Mehbooba was 'trying to keep herself alive politically' at a time when political uncertainty has gripped J&K in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. 'It (Sinha-Mehbooba meeting) could also be a courtesy call or perhaps she is clearing her position after making some strong statements recently (after Pahalgam). She has to keep herself politically relevant both with the public and perhaps with the Union government also and hence the meeting,' he said. As the carnage in Pahalgam has overshadowed J&K's path to statehood, pressure is mounting on Abdullah who seems to be struggling to hold accountable an increasingly assertive bureaucracy which is controlled by the Raj Bhawan. It has been over six months since his elected government was sworn into office. Sharing the podium with prime minister Narendra Modi in Katra during the inauguration of the historic rail link to Kashmir, Abdullah pointed to his 'small demotion' as the chief minister of a state to that of a UT which is administered by the Union government. 'But I am optimistic that the time will soon come when this wrong will be righted and you will restore Jammu and Kashmir's statehood,' he said to Modi, evoking a dismissive smile from Sinha who also attended the inauguration ceremony. LG Manoj Sinha, PM Narendra Modi and CM Omar Abdullah during the inauguration of the Chenab Rail Bridge. Photo: X/@narendramodi. On the possibility of J&K UT's transition to a state and Mehbooba Mufti meeting LG to prepare grounds for the same, Choudhary said it would depend on the interpretation of J&K Reorganisation Act and there could be fresh election if J&K's statehood was restored. 'Right now, it is a UT assembly as per this act. I believe there would be another reorganisation act for the transition of J&K to a state that will have its own processes and provisions and which will need the approval of the parliament,' she said. PDP versus NC; NC versus NC She said that the PDP has been cornering the Abdullah government for allegedly reneging on its electoral promises but the narrative that nothing was being done by the ruling party on Article 370 restoration and other issues wasn't gaining much public traction. 'The PDP is very much part of that narrative but the (Abdullah) government looks stable, unless there is some coup like in 1984 and some NC leaders decide to come out of the party. That would lead to a major crisis which I don't see forthcoming,' she said. Abdullah and his allies have 49 seats in the assembly of 90 but the questions over the 'impotence' of the elected government are gaining momentum, even within the ruling party. Last month, senior National Conference leader and three-time legislator from Srinagar's Habba Kadal constituency Shameema Firdous said that Abdullah was unable to deliver on the promises made by the party due to the alleged interferences by Sinha and his administration. 'We thought elections would solve our problems but now we have realised that there are many challenges. We cannot do anything or deliver the promises for which we were voted to power. Even the chief minister is facing problems,' said Firdous, in an interview with ETV. After the Lok Sabha parliamentarian Aga Syed Ruhullah, Firdous has become the second senior leader of the National Conference whose remarks have landed Abdullah in a difficult position. Ruhullah stirred a major row during the National Conference's working committee meeting last month when, without taking names, he sought to target the party leadership for abandoning the promises made in the election manifesto last year, including the restoration of J&K's pre-Article 370 identity and expeditious release of political prisoners. Following a tense exchange with Abdullah, the Srinagar MP offered to resign and later walked out of the meeting (something that was denied by the party), sarcastically dismissing it as a 'public milan ' of the party 'that once stood for something bigger than power'. Later, in a cryptic post on X, Ruhullah indirectly asked the chief minister to wear bangles if he can't deliver on his promises. 'Disillusionment with the elected government has started too early,' senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said, adding that an 'organic change' was taking place on the political front in Jammu and Kashmir as the ruling party was failing to live up to its electoral promises. Akhtar, a former J&K minister and the PDP ideologue, dismissed attempts to attach political motives to Mufti's volte face, arguing that a clear message had gone out post the massacre at Baisaran meadow that Kashmiris are against all forms of terrorism. 'We thought that this message shouldn't be a one-off occasion. The issue of Kashmiri Pandits seems to have been pushed on the back burner and by seeking their rehabilitation, we are affirming that Kashmir is not a communal issue,' Akhtar said. Chowdhary said that Mehbooba's meeting was an indication of the party's struggle to find relevance in the prevailing political situation, especially as Abdullah was negotiating directly with the Union government while the PDP had been reduced to merely three members in the assembly. 'Rather than talking about hard issues, she must have chosen a softer issue like Kashmiri Pandits because it appeals to many and it can appeal to the Union government also,' she said. She added: 'If PDP is feeling that J&K statehood was going to be restored or some other political development was going to take place, the party would be fixing its act on the ground and trying to win the support of people rather than meeting the LG,' she said. Akhtar said that the party has not given up on its political agenda, 'We will continue to promote peace with dignity which includes political resolution of Kashmir problem and an end to human rights abuses,' he said. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News The Grand Tamasha of Jammu and Kashmir Politics What Amit Shah's Amarnath Yatra Security Meeting Says About Who Controls Law and Order in J&K Lone NC MP in All-Party Delegations to Not Join His Group, Cites Urs at Native Village A PM Dependent on the Opposition Doesn't Bode Well for BJP 'Attack on Religious Right of Kashmir's Muslims,' Says Mirwaiz as J&K Govt Bar Eid Prayers at Srinagar Eidgah Modi's Cult-Driven Foreign Outreach Efforts Have Left India Friendless One Year, Five U-Turns: How Modi 3.0 Was Forced to Bend to Coalition Pulls & Opposition Pressures The Search for the 'Bandung Spirit' Rural Development Ministry Seeks 12% Hike in MGNREGS Outlay: Report About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.


Mint
31 minutes ago
- Mint
11 Years of PM Modi: JP Nadda lists key milestones — Economic growth, poor welfare, J&K focus and more
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Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt has stopped talking about present, now selling dreams of 2047: Rahul Gandhi
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