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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
SKM urges all parties to clarify stance on Punjab's land pooling policy at live-streamed meeting
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called an all-party meeting on Friday at Kisan Bhawan, Chandigarh, where they will be asked to state their position on Punjab's contentious land pooling policy. The land pooling policy, under which the Punjab government plans to acquire over 40,000 acres of land across the state—primarily in Ludhiana district—has faced widespread opposition from farmers and their unions. The meeting aims to hold both ruling and Opposition parties accountable regarding land pooling and other key policy matters concerning the farming sector in general. 'We have sent invites to political parties like the AAP, Congress, BJP, SAD and BSP, whose MLAs are present in the Vidhan Sabha. Besides these, we have also invited Left parties like the CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI), and the five-member recruitment committee, a rebel faction of the SAD. We are yet to receive confirmation from anyone. However, designated seating will be arranged for all invited political representatives. Let's see who comes and what they say,' said Reminder Singh Patiala, member of the SKM's national coordination committee, while speaking to The Indian Express on Thursday. Apart from the land pooling policy, the all-party meeting will focus on Punjab's water crisis and water distribution, free trade agreements with the US and other countries, and the deteriorating condition of cooperative societies in the state. 'These are pressing issues that affect the future of farming and rural livelihoods, and we expect every political party to share their position transparently,' said Harinder Singh Lakhowal, another member of the SKM's national coordination committee. The meeting will begin at 11 am on Friday. Each political party will be given time to present its views and suggestions. This will be followed by a direct question-and-answer session between farmer leaders and party representatives. Attendance inside the main meeting hall will be restricted to nominated senior leaders from the SKM-affiliated farmer unions and political leaders. Other attendees will be able to watch the proceedings on LCD screens installed inside Kisan Bhawan, and the event will also be live-streamed, said SKM leaders. 'This will be a rare, head-on interaction where party representatives must explain their stands openly in a live discussion,' said Buta Singh Burjgill, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda) and a member of the SKM's national coordination committee. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), the largest farmer union in Punjab and also a member of SKM, has announced it will not participate in the meeting. 'We have no hope from any political party. Though we are part of the SKM, we believe in struggling for our rights rather than relying on political assurances. Hence, we will not be part of this meeting,' said Jhanda Singh Jethuke, senior vice-president of BKU (Ugrahan), in a statement issued to The Indian Express. Around 35 farmer unions of Punjab will be part of this meeting, however, according to the SKM. As part of a broader campaign under the banner 'Save Land, Water, and Punjab', the SKM's Punjab unit has also announced a series of protests in the coming weeks. These include a massive farmers' rally on August 24 at Mullanpur Mandi in Ludhiana against the land pooling policy and tractor and flag marches across villages affected by the land pooling policy on July 30, said Raminder Singh Patiala.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Farmers in Dewas village crawl on knees to demand moong procurement centre
Indore: Farmers in Dewas district resorted to crawling on their knees, partially clothed, to demand a procurement centre for moong (green gram) in the village of Gadia. The demonstration took place in Neemkheda village of Kannod tehsil, where farmers crawled approximately 200 feet towards administrative vehicles on Saturday. Their demand was to set up a procurement centre in Gadia village, roughly two km from Neemkheda. Neemkheda village falls within the Vidisha parliamentary constituency represented by Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The incident's footage circulated widely on social media platforms on Sunday. "We were forced to crawl on knees to press our demand of setting up a procurement centre in Gadia village. The waiting period is not less than 3-4 days at the existing procurement centres due to overcrowding. The daily expense of a rental trolley comes around Rs 2,000, and there is no arrangement for toilets," Bharatiya Kisan Union, Dewas district president Om Patel said. The demonstrators said they incur financial losses to sell their moong crop at existing procurement centres, and Neemkheda and Gadia villages have the maximum number of farmers registered for selling the moong crop. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 목에 주름이 생기는 '진짜' 이유 뷰앤디 더 알아보기 Undo Presently, residents of Neemkheda and Gadia travel to procurement centres at Annapurna warehouse near the Kasarni river on Indore Road and Shri Krishna warehouse in Ambada village on Satwas road near Kannod, located approximately 5-6 km away. On Saturday, approximately 150 farmers participated in the protest, blocking Highway 41 Khandwa-Pachor in Neemkheda village, with 12 farmers crawling on their knees. Tehsildar Anjali Gupta said, "We visited the protest site and informed the farmers that regulations prevent establishing a procurement centre in Gadia. A total of 3,186 farmers have registered for moong procurement, and already there are three centres located around a 10-15 km range. The rule says to set up a centre, the distance of the centre to the farm should be around 25 km." The farmers suspended the protest after the tehsildar assured them to address their concerns by next week.
Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BKU's Ugrahan faction to boycott all-party meeting on land pooling policy
Sangrur: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) has announced that it will boycott the all-party meeting scheduled for July 18 in Chandigarh, which was convened by several farmer organisations to discuss the Punjab government's recently introduced land-pooling policy. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) has announced that it will boycott the all-party meeting scheduled for July 18 in Chandigarh, which was convened by several farmer organisations to discuss the Punjab government's recently introduced land-pooling policy The policy, approved by the Punjab cabinet on June 2, aims to facilitate urban development by allowing landowners to voluntarily contribute their land to government or private development projects. In exchange, landowners are promised developed residential and commercial plots, with the possibility of participating in group housing projects. BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the decision to stay away from the meeting aligns with the principles of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), under which the 'Delhi Chalo' farmers' agitation was conducted. 'Our struggle was based on SKM's core policy of not engaging with political parties or allowing their leaders on our stage. That independence gave our movement strength and credibility,' Ugrahan said. He accused political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of being complicit in policies that aim to seize farmers' land under the guise of development. 'All these parties are in agreement when it comes to handing over farmers' land to corporate houses,' he alleged. Referring to past incidents of police action during land acquisition drives in Dhaula, Chhanna and Sanghera (under the Congress government), and in Gobindpura, Mansa (under the Akali-BJP regime), BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) said these events reveal a consistent anti-farmer stance across political lines. The union called on farmers to uphold the SKM's independent policy and resist what it described as political interference in their struggle. 'If these parties genuinely care about farmers, they should oppose the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government's anti-farmer land pooling policy from their own platforms, not by infiltrating farmer-led movements,' the union stated.
India Gazette
07-07-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Kanwar Yatra: Rakesh Tikait slams identity campaign, urges for peace and reasonable solutions
Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 7 (ANI): The Kanwar Yatra is set to commence on July 10. Amid the preparations, controversy has erupted over an alleged 'identity campaign' being run by certain organisations along the yatra route, prompting national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Rakesh Tikait, to issue a statement from his residence in Muzaffarnagar. The campaign, which reportedly involves identifying people and businesses based on religious identity, took a serious turn after an incident in Haridwar, where a Muslim family was allegedly attacked and their vehicle vandalised on the Kanwar route. Reacting to the rising communal tension, Tikait stated, 'Running an identity campaign is wrong. Instead of targeting people, we should adopt a clear and peaceful approach.' He suggested a practical solution to avoid confusion and conflict during the pilgrimage, veg hotels should use green boards, while non-veg eateries and hotels should use red. According to him, this colour-coded system is already in place in Maharashtra's Nagpur and helps prevent disputes. Tikait emphasised that the Kanwar Yatra is a sacred event and should remain peaceful. He recalled that Naresh Tikait, a senior BKU leader, had earlier appealed for the Yatra to be conducted with restraint, asking for limits on the height and sound of DJ processions, which have become a modern-day feature of the pilgrimage. However, Tikait noted that even such suggestions for peace are met with resistance. 'Today, anyone who speaks about peace is branded a traitor,' he said sarcastically, pointing to how Naresh Tikait's earlier remarks were misrepresented and led to uproar. He also brought up a tragic incident from last year when a soldier was beaten to death during a competitive 'Dak Kanwar' procession, highlighting the dangers of unchecked rivalry during the Yatra. Tikait warned against turning the pilgrimage into a platform for caste-based slogans and provocations. 'If DJ Kanwars don't shout casteist slogans, what's the fun? If DJ trucks don't get caught in overhead power lines, what's the fun?' he said mockingly. Addressing the controversy around nameplates, Tikait underlined that businesses along the Kanwar route should indicate their offerings -- veg or non-veg -- through colour-coded boards rather than be drawn into religious or caste-based identity politics. He called on the administration to take strict action against anyone taking the law into their own hands and urged communities to continue serving Kanwar pilgrims with unity and devotion, regardless of caste or religion. 'We have always been in service of the Kanwar pilgrims, organising large community meals and support. But sometimes, even those efforts face backlash,' he said. Rakesh Tikait's statement comes as a reminder of the importance of communal harmony and responsible conduct during one of India's largest religious pilgrimages. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ghaziabad: Man gunned down by bikers outside police station
Ghaziabad An argument between two groups over halting a car on a main road near Rawli around 7.30pm on Wednesday snowballed into a major fight and culminated in the murder of a 32-year-old man at the entrance of the Muradnagar police station around 11.45pm on the same day, police said. The family of the victim, Ravi Sharma, alleged that police took no action when the accused, identified as Monty Chaudhary and Ajay Chaudhary, fired at least four to five shots outside the police station. Subsequently, three police officers were suspended on Thursday and an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (acts done with common intention) was filed. The Muradnagar police station is located on the Delhi-Meerut Road. 'It was around 11.45pm when the two suspects arrived on a bike on the opposite side of the road and fired several shots outside the police station. They soon fled on their bike. One of the shots hit Ravi Sharma and killed him. We have formed five teams to trace the two suspects, and an FIR has been registered against them,' Surendra Nath Tiwary, DCP of the rural zone, said. The events started at around 7.30pm, when Ravinder Sharma, Bharatiya Kisan Union's national vice-president, and his son Arun Sharma were returning to their home in Milak Rawli village in Muradnagar. Upon spotting their two nieces getting off an autorickshaw, Ravinder halted the car and asked them to board the car. During the conversation, the suspects—who also reside in the same village as the victim's family—were driving down the opposite side and objected to Ravinder halting the car. 'They had a heated exchange over the passage of their cars, after which Ravinder returned home. Around 8.30pm, the two suspects went on a bike to Ravinder's house and fired two shots at the main gate. Ravinder called the police, who could not find the accused at their residence. Ravinder was asked to visit the police station to file a complaint,' DCP Tiwary said. Ravinder visited the police station along with his eldest son Ravi Sharma, the victim, and a few other relatives around 11pm. When they were waiting outside, Ravinder said the two suspects came on a bike and fired at them, killing Ravi. 'During the firing outside the police station, four policemen were standing near us, but none of them opened retaliatory fire, even though we insisted. They just started preparing videos of the incident as soon as the first shot was fired. We rushed my injured son (Ravi Sharma) to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. We kept his body outside the police station on Thursday morning, demanding their police encounter and security for my family,' Ravinder said. Police said the group held a demonstration with the body of the deceased on Thursday morning, but traffic movement on the Delhi-Meerut Road was not affected. Following the incident, senior officials of the Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate on Thursday suspended the station house officer (SHO) of Muradnagar police station, a sub-inspector who was the night officer, and another sub-inspector, who is the beat police officer of the areas concerned, the police said in a statement. Police said that prime suspect Monty was released from jail last year after serving a sentence for raping a minor girl in 2015. The other accused, Ajay, does not have a criminal history, the DCP said. Sharma's family operates a business of pesticides and agricultural equipment at Rawli in Muradnagar.
