Punjab: Farmers' organisations to hold sit-in-protests, shut toll plazas on Nov 15; burnt effigies of Union govt today

Some of the demands included a law to ensure MSP for procurement of crops, 200 days employment under MGNREGA and a ban on drug trading. Farmers' organisations will burn effigies of Union government on today and tomorrow while on November 15, they will hold sit-in-protests and block toll plazas across the state.

Chandigarh: The farmers' organisations across Punjab are gearing up to launch a protest on a host of demands including a law to ensure a Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the procurement of crops.

The protest kicked off from today with the burning of effigies of the Union government and it will be intensified on November 15 when the toll plazas would be shut down. Nearly 20 farmers' organisations of north India have announced a sit-in-demonstration from November 15 onwards on several demands.

Farm leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher, Jarnail Singh Kaleke and Amarjit Singh Mohri said that Dussehra will be celebrated in the state by burning effigies of the government on October 23 and 24. Though this, the farmers would protest against the Union government, the leaders said.

The farmers' organisations demanded a law to ensure that all crops are procured at MSP. They said that the price of all crops should be decided according to the report of the Swaminathan Commission. This apart, workers should be provided 200 days of employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and a complete ban should be imposed on sale of drugs, they demanded.

The organisations have further raised a demand for a special package amounting to Rs 50,000 crore to compensate for the losses of the farmers in the flood-affected areas. They have demanded that the cases that were registered by the police against farmers during their Delhi march should be canceled and justice should be given in the Lakhimpur Kheri gangrape murder case.

A four-member committee held a meeting with Jagjit Singh Dallewal's United Kisan Morcha and 32 other farmer organisations in this regard. The leaders pressed for the need of farmers to unite together and fight for their demands.