Latest news with #EktaUgrahan
Time of India
4 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Panchayati land auction sparks unrest in Patiala village
Patiala: Farmers belonging to Bathoi Kalan in Patiala district on Wednesday staged a protest at the Patiala BDPO office in an effort to halt the ongoing auction process of panchayati land within the village. During the protest, a minor clash also erupted between two groups from the village, which included Dalits and the farmers currently cultivating the panchayati land. Secretary, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), Patiala, Balraj Joshi explained that the village possesses a total of 603 acres of panchayati land. This land has been under cultivation by the farmers for several decades. However, the district administration now intends to allocate this land to the members of the SC community living in the village. Joshi said those who had been tilling the land were opposed to this move, leading to a petition being filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court. According to Balraj: "The high court has stayed over 450 acres of this panchayati land, but more than 80 acres of agricultural land did not receive a stay due to technical issues experienced during the filing of the petition. The administration has now attempted to auction this land with the aim of distributing it to the SC community members and subsequently to corporate houses." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Alarme c/ Câmera Mais moderna do Mercado por até 40% Off Verisure Saiba Mais Undo BDPO Sukhwinder Singh Tiwana said: "The auction of nearly 98 acres of panchayati land was being held when some villagers along with farmer union members started to oppose the move. Out of 603 acres, 98 acres land was not under stay of the high court. We wanted to auction these 98 acres of which 1/3rd share was supposed to be given to the SC community members in the village as per law. Those who have illegally occupied the panchayati land are opposing this auction. " MSID:: 121626566 413 |
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
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 by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo 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.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BKU protests in Bathinda, accused govt of suppressing their voice
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged a protest outside the Bathinda district administrative complex (DAC) against the Punjab government on Monday. Union president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is oppressing the rights of farmers as they are not being allowed to raise their voice in support of their issues. He said the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government is working for corporate houses by acquiring land in rural areas with inadequate compensation to farmers. Ugrahan alleged the state government is trying to forcibly evict the cultivators at Jeond village in Bathinda to benefit the landowners.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Farm forum halts land demarcation exercise again in Bathinda village; constable dies on way to site
Bathinda: A renewed protest by BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) on Friday once again disrupted a govt-led land consolidation exercise in Bathinda's Jeond village amid an ongoing dispute between original landowners and cultivators, even as a woman constable lost her life in a road accident on her way to the site. Constable Ramandeep Kaur, posted at the Rampura Phul DSP office and a resident of Mandi Kalan village, was riding her scooter toward Jeond when she was struck by a vehicle near Rampura. Police arrested the vehicle's driver. Senior superintendent of police Amneet Kondal clarified that the constable had not reached the protest site at the time of the accident and her death was not directly linked to the protest activity. At the same time, the district administration's effort to demarcate approximately 2,151 acres of village land — aimed at identifying and recording rightful ownership — was stalled by protesting farmers. The protesters, led by BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), demand ownership rights for mujaras ( tenant cultivators ), who claim to have tilled the land for over a century. The land dispute in Jeond has roots in the early 1950s under the Ala Malik-Adna Malik Act, which entitles original landlords to claim a one-third share — in this case, approximately 717 acres. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo However, tenant cultivators argue they have an established right due to uninterrupted cultivation over the past 107 years. The Punjab and Haryana high court, in an order dated Jan 8, 2025, directed the completion of revenue records and the initiation of the consolidation process by Jan 30. Despite this legal backing, multiple attempts by the administration to carry out the demarcation have faced resistance. The latest attempt included plans to use drone technology for preparing murabbas (land blocks of 25 acres), followed by precise parceling based on the number of claimants. Anticipating opposition, the administration was accompanied by a police contingent during the exercise. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) leaders Jhanda Singh Jethuike and Shingara Singh Mann reiterated their stand, expressing solidarity with the tillers and citing historical movements like the Pepsu Mujara Lehar of the 1930s–40s, which aimed to secure ownership rights for tenant farmers. Bathinda deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray acknowledged repeated meetings with farmers and stressed the administration's responsibility to follow court orders. "Despite our efforts, resistance from the cultivators is hampering progress," he said. BOX Jethuke vs ADC on court orders BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) vice-president Khanda Singh Jethuke engaged in a heated exchange with Bathinda ADC Poonam Singh over consolidation demarcation at Jeond village. As the ADC stated that the administration is acting according to the court orders, Jethuke became furious. He argued that the "administration only recognises court orders that are against the people, not those in favour of them". He even stated that CM Bhagwant Mann was staging sit-ins against the court orders. MSID:: 121215371 413 | MSID:: 121213667 413 |
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In Punjab, farmers organise peace marches, say no to war
Bathinda: The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday organised peace marches across Punjab. The SKM also warned the central govt about forcing the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to release more water to leaders said Punjab had no spare water and any conspiracy to "snatch" Punjab's water would be strongly opposed. The SKM will not shy away from holding a struggle against any such move, they the Pahalgam attack, wherein 26 persons were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists, the SKM said terrorism in any form was condemned, but "war is not a solution", as it causes loss of many innocent lives. The farm leaders urged both India and Pakistan to end the stalemate through raising their voices for peace in the sub-continent, the farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held peace and goodwill marches in several villages of Bathinda slogans "jung nahi aman (peace, not war)", the BKU activists highlighted the losses that war brings with (Ekta Ugrahan) district Bathinda chief Shingara Singh Mann and women wing coordinator Harinder Kaur Bindu said the people of Punjab were the biggest sufferers in case of any hostilities."We do not want war, even as we strongly condemn terrorism in any shape and the terrorist attack at Pahalgam where 26 innocents were killed," they said, adding that such goodwill marches would continue in the villages.
