ejecting the ruling party’s appeal to call off their Rail Roko agitation, which has paralysed train services, farmers’ outfits on Saturday decided to extend their stir by two days to press for their demands.
The agitation would be on till October 12, the date given by the Shiromani Akali Dal for holding talks with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to resolve their issues.
“Our core committee of eight farmers’ outfits has decided to extend Rail Roko agitation till October 12,” BKU (Ugrahan) General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said.
“Our members have thought that if we call off our protest today then our demands may not be taken seriously by the state authorities. That is why we decided to extend our agitation to press the state government to accept our demands,” he argued.
Mr Kokri said the ruling party had delayed inviting farmers to hold talks with the Chief Minister.
The agitation, which began on October 7, has affected 53 trains, including 25 which were cancelled, in the last four days, railway authorities said.
Nine trains were diverted, while 19 others were short terminated or short originated by railway authorities.
As many as eight farmers’ organisations including BKU Ekta (Dakunda), BKU Ekta (Ugrahan), BKU (Krantikari), Kirti Kisan Union are participating in the agitation.
Though the SAD has appealed to farmers to call off their protest, no prior condition has been put before the farmers to hold talks with Chief Minister.
“We have fixed a meeting of representatives of farmers’ organisations with the Chief Minister at 4-30 p.m. on Monday in Chandigarh,” SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said.
Mr Chandumajra has been assigned the responsibility of prevailing upon agitating farmers to bring them on table for negotiations.
By extending its agitation, farmers appear to “arm twist” the state government to accept some of its demands.
Badal promises help
The Chief Minister appealed to the agitating farmers to call off their stir, saying the government is ready to accept their genuine demands.
In a statement here, he said the Shiromani Akali Dal has been a votary of farmers’ rights and the government has taken appropriate steps to safeguard their interests.
Blaming the previous Congress governments at the Centre for the farmers’ distress, Mr Badal said the SAD-BJP alliance government has taken many steps to bail out the farmers.
He said the state government is ready to accept every genuine demand of the farmers as he appealed to the farmers to lift the rail blockade which was causing huge harassment to general public, besides causing a whopping economic loss to the nation. He said the state government has taken several steps for safeguarding the interests of farmers. -- PTI
If we call off our protest today then our demands may not be taken seriously by authorities
