Amid curbs, Harsimrat Badal faces farmers protest in Bathinda, farmer injured in clash with police

Bathinda : Thousands of farmers, laborers and women today gheraoed the house of Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal, President Akali Dal and staged a massive dharna against the Centre’s agricultural three ordinances and power amendment bill 2020 in the name of ‘one nation one mandi’ for agrarian reforms.One farmer Dharam Singh, President, was also injured when he was hit in the head with lathi while crossing the barrier put up to block the agitators, said Baljinder Singh Sidhu, Kisan Sangharsh Committee.The framers oppose three recently passed ordinances, namely the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance. They allege that the ordinances would demolish the conventional mandi system and leave farmers at the mercy of corporate and market forces.The protesters submitted a 6-point memorandum in the name of Prime Minister demanding the withdrawal of Ordinances and Power Amendment Bill 2020.Addressing the large gathering, Farmers-Labour Organization, State President Satnam Singh Pannu, State Vice President Jasbir Singh Pidhi, District President Inderjit Singh Kaliwala, Dharam Singh Sidhu, Narinderpal Singh Jatala said, it is do or die battle against the Modi government and announced to hold state level meeting on July 25.Pannu further said that the central government of BJP-SAD alliance under the pressure of the World Trade Organization (WTO) had expeditiously implemented the policies of liberalization and privatization under the pretext of COVID-19. he farmers are being robbed with these three ordinances as 85% of the farmers of Punjab with less than five acres would be excluded from farming and 500 to 1000 acres of large farms would be taken over by the corporate, he added.The demand charter also included that the report of Dr. Swaminathan Commission should be implemented by eliminating the entire debt of the farmers and laborers. The leaflets issued by the Punjab Police and Railway Police on the farmers and laborers should be canceled.