BKU Leader threatens Punjab bandh if Centre won't commence talks with protesting farmers

Manjit Singh Rai, the leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU)-Doaba, warned on Saturday, that if the government does not open conversation by this evening, they (farmers) will call for a Punjab Bandh. Rai, on the other hand, stated that they are attempting to avert a bandh on Sunday due to the Rakhi festival. Sugarcane growers in Jalandhar, Punjab, stopped highways and railway tracks on Saturday, demanding that the state government pay their debts.

BKU calls for Punjab Bandh

Rai noted, "If government doesn't hold talks with us by today evening, then we'll give Punjab Bandh call. We'll try to avoid imposing a bandh tomorrow due to Rakhi." Furthermore, he stated that the bandh might be implemented tomorrow evening instead.

 "We will decide by evening if the call of the bandh is required or not. Tomorrow, since brothers and sisters travel to each other's places, we are thinking of imposing the bandh later in the evening or exempting tomorrow completely. However, if we do not come to any common ground with the government, we will definitely be blocking all the tolls across the state," he added.

He also asked the protesting farmers' sisters to come to the demonstration location and tie rakhi to their brothers.

Punjab Sugarcane Farmers Protests

On Friday, hundreds of sugarcane farmers demanding a fair price for their product staged a demonstration on the Jalandhar-Amritsar route, forcing traffic from both cities, as well as Ludhiana, Pathankot, and surrounding areas, to be diverted. They also blocked the railway track at Dhanowali village, causing the Shane Punjab Express (which runs from Amritsar to Delhi) to be halted at Jalandhar station. At least seven additional trains have been impacted, including the SVDK Vande Bharat Express. The farmers, who assembled under the umbrella of the Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee, have alleged that sugarcane growers in Haryana get Rs 48 more per quintal.

According to farmer leaders, the price of sugarcane per quintal in Haryana was Rs 350 last year and Rs 358 this year. However, in Punjab, the price has been the same for the previous five years at Rs 310 rupees. The Amarinder Singh government announced a Rs 15-per-quintal rise on Friday, but the angered farmers considered it insufficient. They are said to have wanted a Rs 70-per-quintal increase.

(with inputs from ANI)

(Image Credits: ANI)