Jalandhar: Amidst multi-layered barricading, house arrests, detention and arrests of farmer union leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded the second day of his election rallies in Punjab’s Gurdaspur and Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituencies urging voters to bring his government to power for a record third term. Punjab goes to polls on June 1, Saturday.
While the farmers holding black flags, as a symbol of protest and party flags were left protesting on the highways in the scorching heat, PM Modi made a mention of farmers only once in his address at Gurdaspur. He did not talk about farmers in Jalandhar.
Additionally, police vehicles and mud-loaded tippers were parked on the highways to stop farmers from reaching the venue.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Since morning, Punjab Police and other security forces had started reaching the houses of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha farmer leaders in Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr, and Faridkot districts. The police took many farmers under house arrest while others were taken into detention to stop them from reaching the rally venues.
Talking about farmers at Gurdaspur, the prime minister said, “Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were putting the country’s future at stake. They were putting Punjab’s future at stake. In Punjab, drugs were ruining the youth, criminals were getting state government support, development was stalled and the farmers were in trouble,” Modi, however, asked the Punjab farmers to grow millets and benefit from his government’s scheme to make it a world-famous food.
The prime minister also mentioned how during the last 10 years, his government bought record wheat and paddy from Punjab. “As compared to the Congress, our government increased the MSP of these crops by 2.5%. We introduced PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for the farmers to fulfill their requirements of seeds and fertilizers. Our government also transferred Rs 30,000 in farmers accounts.”
Notably, in Gurdaspur, Prime Minister Modi held election rallies for the saffron party candidates — Dinesh Kumar Babbu from Gurdaspur, Anita Som Parkash from Hoshiarpur and Taranjit Singh Sandhu from Amritsar. In Jalandhar, the rally was held for Sushil Kumar Rinku who is fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Jalandhar, Ravneet Singh Bittu from Ludhiana, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi from Ferozepur and Manjit Singh Manna from Khadoor Sahib constituencies.
Earlier, Modi confined his speech to Pakistan, terrorism, Ram Mandir, New India, Ghar mai ghus ke maarenge slogan, rich and the glorious past of Sikh gurus and his connection with Punjab. The prime minister also made a special mention of Radha Soami Satsang Beas sect and Seer Govardhan Dham in Benaras, wooing the Ravidassia sect followers of Punjab.
He also targeted Congress-AAP’s politics and said that they were opposing each other in Punjab but were contesting elections together in Delhi. “AAP was embroiled in a liquor scam. They are the wholesaler of drugs. Those who are facing liquor scam were talking about wiping out drugs from Punjab in two months. Both the Congress and AAP are each other’s photocopies. Congress means problems while BJP means solutions,” he mentioned.
Farmer leaders question PM Modi’s intentions
Questioning Prime Minister Modi’s Punjab’s visit, which is an agrarian state, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) co-ordinator and the president of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Sarwan Singh Pandher in a press statement said, “The prime minister should tell the voters that why did not he implement the demands of previous farmers protest, which he had already accepted? As per 2014 parliamentary poll promise, why did not he implement the M.S. Swaminathan Commission Report?”
The union leaders said that the way in which the farmers were stopped from questioning Prime Minister Modi, it has put a stamp on the reason why India was at the lowest ranked in the list of world’s best democracies. “They were bringing people from other states in buses to show massive support but people of Punjab do not like the politics of hate,” they said.
Talking to The Wire, Sarwan Pandher while commenting on Prime Minister Modi’s speeches said, “Prime Minister Modi’s speeches on farmers are contradictory. There are around 80 to 100 crore farmers and farm labourers in the country. When Prime Minister Modi did not do anything to address the grievances of the farmers and gave everything to the corporates, what could he say? He should tell what he did for the farmers. In the wake of these developments, we have decided to gherao the residences of BJP candidates in Punjab on May 28,” he said.
Pandher also said that farmer leaders had requested the BJP Punjab leadership and the Punjab Police officials to facilitate their meeting with the prime minister but they turned a blind eye. “We were going to meet the prime minister and not to block or disrupt his election rallies”, he added.
A group of farmers protesting in Punjab. Photo: Special Arrangement
Notably, Sarwan Singh Pandher, Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande and Sukhdev Singh Bhojraj along with different farmer unions had gathered at Gurdaspur-Amritsar Road to question PM Modi over their pending demands but they were stopped by a heavy force at Babri chowk in Gurdaspur. Later the farmers held a peaceful protest there.
Another farmer union leader Sukhjit Singh from Gurdaspur, who was kept under house arrest said that Modi wanted to win a third term but kept farmers at bay. “It is these farmers who are going to vote and they are being denied the chance to even speak to him,” he said. Amrik Singh from Jalandhar, who too was kept under house arrest, said that police reached his house as early as 7 am and kept him under house arrest till Modi was in Punjab.
Condemning these developments, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Raminder Singh Patiala said that this shows the moral defeat of Prime Minister Modi. “The BJP should get ready to face political consequences of oppression in the election. Apart from house arrests and detentions, our Kirti Kisan Union’s office was also sealed by the police in Jalandhar,” he said.
Raminder said that the members of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rajewal, Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee were detained while Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha were stopped in Jalandhar from reaching Prime Minister Modi’s rally venue at Punjab Armed Police (PAP) Ground, Jalandhar. Police also conducted raids at the residence of Kirti Kisan Union state general secretary Rajinder Singh Deep Singh Wala in Faridkot district.