To protest against the Modi government’s perceived anti-farmer policies and express unwavering support for farmers’ demands, the Punjab and Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee jointly organized a protest dharna in Sector 3 on Friday.
Chandigarh Pradesh Congress spokesperson Rajeev Sharma stated that at 11 am, Punjab Congress President Raja Amarinder Wadding, Chandigarh Congress President H.S. Lucky, former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sukh Sarkaria, Balbir Sidhu, Tript Rajinder Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and other leaders from Punjab and Chandigarh Congress were detained at the police station in Sector 11, Chandigarh. They were all released at 1.30 pm.
Addressing the gathering, Raja Wading condemned the alleged illegal actions of Haryana Police on farmers at Shambhu Barrier on Rajpura Ambala road, resulting in one farmer’s death and injuries to over a hundred others. He criticized the use of tear gas shells and plastic bullets by Haryana Police in Punjab against farmers. Raja Wading demanded the registration of criminal cases against the responsible officials and BJP leaders for their use of force on the farmers. He expressed confidence that the Modi government would soon implement the Minimum Support Price for agriculture and enact a law to guarantee the purchase of produce, meeting the farmers’ demands. Chandigarh Congress President H.S. Lucky decried the Modi government’s alleged anti-farmer stance, citing the martyrdom of over 700 farmers during the year-long agitation in 2021.
He criticized the new anti-farmer policies, asserting that the BJP aims to economically harm farmers and laborers. Lucky condemned various atrocities committed against them and emphasized that the people of India would not permit the Modi government to succeed in its alleged conspiracy to hand over the agro-industry and agricultural land to a few wealthy corporate entities.