Punjab CM clueless over farmers's stir outside his residence, says "all demands accepted'

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said that the government is accepting all the demands of the farmers, who however demanded an assurance from the government in writing over compensation for damaged crops.

Sangrur: The Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab and farmers are at loggerheads over the latter's demands. In order to implement their demands including compensation for crop damages, the largest farmers' organization in Punjab, Bharti Kisan Union Ugrahan, has continuously besieged the Chief Minister's residence and is holding sit-ins on the roads.

Farmers also celebrated Diwali on the streets outside the Chief Minister's house. However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the government is accepting all the demands of the farmers, “but we don't know why they are still sitting on a dharna”. On the other hand, the farmer leaders said that if their demands were accepted, “we would not be mad to sit on the road like this”.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said he had a three-hour meeting with the farmers wherein they accepted the demands which will now be placed with the central government “as they have to be fulfilled by the central government”. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the farmers are facing difficulty in buying cumin seeds in the open market, but added the purchase of paddy is being done above the MSP. “But we do not know why the farmers are sitting on dharna,” he said.

However, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, state president of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ugrahan, said that thousands of farmers are sitting in front of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's residence to protest their demands. “If the government had given in writing, we would have left from here,” he said.

He said the rain had ruined the crops of millions of farmers who are demanding compensation from the government.