Amritsar: Campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Amritsar took a dramatic turn as former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu, fielded by the BJP for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, encountered the ire of farmers on Saturday. During his campaign in Ajnala, farmers displayed black flags and forcefully painted over a wall bearing BJP election symbols and slogans in Karimpura village under the Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency of Tarn Taran.
Farmers associated with the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti in Ajnala protested against Sandhu's roadshow in Gagomahal and Kallomahal villages, expressing their dissatisfaction with the BJP. Taranjit Sandhu, accompanied by BJP leader Amarpal Singh Boney and party workers, faced slogans and black flags from the protesting farmers, leading to police intervention and the detainment of some farmer leaders.
"We will not allow BJP leaders to enter the villages," declared a farmer union leader, emphasizing their opposition to Sandhu's roadshow. Sandhu, however, maintained that farmers have the democratic right to protest and clarified, "I have not said anything against the interests of the farmers. I am advocating for increasing their income and presenting concrete proposals. The cargo facility at Guru Ramdas International Airport in Amritsar is operating at only 20 per cent of its capacity. Why is it not functioning at full capacity? Farmer unions should also raise objections to this."
Meanwhile, farmer leader Gurdev Singh Gagomahal criticized the Centre for not meeting farmers' demands during the 'Delhi Chalo' march for a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops. He also condemned the BJP government for the death of a farmer during the protests. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the 'Delhi Chalo' march, which has seen farmers camped at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13.
Earlier, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha had announced its intent to rally people to vote against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, with SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal declaring, "Our slogan will be ‘BJP Harao, Corporate Bhajao’." Reacting to the incident, former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha posted a video showing painters whitewashing a BJP election advertisement in Karimpura village.
Dalbir Singh Bhura, a leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti, expressed dismay over the BJP's presence, stating, "We will not allow any BJP advertisement in our villages." BJP leader Gurmukh Singh Blair, unaware of the painters' activities, intervened to halt the work and whitewash the advertisement upon learning of the farmer union leaders' objections.
In a bid to intensify protests against the BJP, SKM's Rajewal announced plans for a rally in Jagraon on May 21 and the distribution of pamphlets opposing BJP candidates. A committee has been formed to oversee the preparation of the questionnaire and pamphlet, with Rajewal asserting, "We will ask people to punish the BJP and urge them to vote for the winning candidate against them. We will not support any one party."
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