New Delhi, Today, in Chandigarh, seven farmer Unions will launch a protest against the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government.

Nirbhay Singh, leader of Kirti Kisan Union, said, “The policies of this government have forced farmers to commit suicide. We want all outstanding loans, whether private or government, waived immediately. We have been raising this demand for a while, but the government has ignored it”.

The agitation will be spearhead by the Kriti Kisan Union, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahana), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaundhk), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) and Punjab Kisan Sangrash Commiittee (Azad).

According to Mr. Singh, the govt. should do a survey to record the number of suicides and the number of debt-driven suicides and give compensation to the families.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahana) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said, “We were anticipating police crackdown. That is why we had left homes, but some of our leaders were apprehended by the police.”

“It is high-handedness on the part of the SAD - BJP government, which is snatching our democratic right to protest. We want to protest peacefully, but police are unnecessarily provoking us and picking up our men,” he added.