Monthly Archives: August 2018

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 17

Amid the spate of ‘mahapanchayats’, BJP’s worries appear to be growing over its prospects in the Jat-dominated agrarian lands of north-west India. The “support” to farmers’ agitation from “non-Jats and Muslims” is also threatening to upset the saffron-party’s carefully crafted equations on the back of which it has been winning elections, especially in Uttar Pradesh which is due for polls in 2022.

Though the leadership has tried to give the farmers’ agitation against the three contentious agriculture laws “a two-and-half-state” angle, but the stir making international headlines has led it to discuss and devise a strategy to blunt the feeling of “alienation” among the community. This appeared to be the main theme of the meeting called by the BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday, a day before the party took a beating in civic body elections in Punjab.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and leaders from Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh – the states leading the stir along with Punjab – including the Muzzafarnagar MP Sanjeev Balyan, who belongs to the same ‘Balyan khap’ as BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

Notably, the growing influence of Rakesh Tikait – who has emerged as a symbol of Jat unity in these ‘khap mahapanchayats’ – in western UP, and now also in parts of Haryana and Rajasthan, influenced by the community and support of non-Jats (including Dalits) and Muslims to what was being considered a predominantly Jat-driven agitation, is a matter of concern for the BJP.

After the 2013 Muzzafarnagar riots, the Western UP region witnessed a deep polarisation with Hindu Jats, non-Jats and Dalits gravitating towards the BJP.

The saffron party has been sweeping the Western UP and Jat-dominated regions on the back of this consolidation. However, the emergence of Tikait as the new binding force at these ‘mahapanchayats’ and the support from non-farming castes and Muslims to the farmers’ agitation has the potential to upset the carefully nurtured vote bank that won it Lok Sabha and Assembly seats, say observers.

Leaders of opposition parties in UP, like the Samajwadi Party and the RLD, are already wooing these sections, building a narrative around “protecting village economy from pro-corporate policy of BJP governments”.

Sources say the BJP is planning a mega reach-out to the community to blunt the growing perception against the party. Top leaders will pitch in this campaign to “dispel politically-driven  misconceptions against the farm laws and the party”, they said.

A section in the party also agrees that ‘mahapanchayats’ in Haryana, western UP and parts of Rajasthan are a cause of concern for the party.

The government wants to resolve the issue and “our doors are always open for farmers”, they said, adding that leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been asked to reach out to people at the ‘panchayat’ level (khaps) and ensure that communities, especially Jats,  do not feel alienated from the BJP.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17

On the call of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), farmers protesting against the three farm laws are gearing up for tomorrow’s “rail roko” protest.

Even as the farm unions have called for a peaceful protest, security forces have been put on alert to avoid any untoward incident.

In a video, BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni asked the farmers to assemble at designated spots in their respective districts and make the protest a success.

“As decided by the SKM, trains will be stopped from 12 pm to 4 pm on February 18. I appeal to all farmers to fix one point in their districts and assemble at that spot. We have to ensure that the protest is held in a peaceful manner,” Charuni said.

Transit bail for Nikita

New Delhi: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted three-week transit bail to alleged “toolkit” case conspirator Nikita Jacob. Jacob now has time to move the appropriate court in Delhi for anticipatory bail. TNS

Sword- wielder held

Ghazipur: Maninder Singh, who was allegedly seen swinging swords at the Red Fort during the violence on Republic Day, has been arrested. TNS

Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Operations), Ambala division, Pankaj Gupta said: “We have been apprised of the locations where the farmers will block the tracks. We have made arrangements accordingly.”

The Northern Railway has stressed that no train has been cancelled or diverted in the region. The Railways has deployed 20 additional companies of the Railway Protection Special Force across the country.

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, February 16

Congress MLA from Gidderbaha Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has courted a controversy as his alleged audio clip of abusing and threatening a Muktsar-based tailor has gone viral on the social media.

Hits out at Sukhbir

I paid the tailor Rs27,000 last month. I have the bills. But I am surprised how this audio clip went viral now. Like always, Sukhbir Badal is behind this controversy — Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Gidderbaha MLA

Manpreet Singh, a leading tailor of Muktsar town, said: “I stitched some clothes for Warring in the past two-three years. When I asked for the charges of Rs 27,000 from his personal assistant and refused to stitch more clothes, Warring abused me over the phone. Though he threatened me, he made the payment by sending his gunmen. The matter is resolved now. I don’t know how the audio clip went viral.”

Speaking over the phone, Warring said: “I paid him Rs 27,000 last month. I have the bills. But I am surprised how this audio clip went viral now. Like always, Sukhbir Singh Badal is behind this controversy. The tailor did not even demand money when I last visited his showroom along with a relative. Later, he returned some unstitched clothes. Thereafter, he made the audio viral.”

He added, “When he insulted me, I too used some harsh words. I am a human first and an MLA later. We know each other for the past around 20 years. Now, I publicly say that if I am yet to pay money to anyone, he/she can come to my office with the proof. I don’t want any controversy.”

Famous for special fitting of “Muktsati kurta pyjama”, the tailor’s list of customers includes Capt Amarinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Sukhbir Badal, Atul Nanda, Rana Gurjit Singh besides some actors and singers.

Sambhal, February 17

The Bharatiya Kisan Union is fighting for farmers’ rights, and they will not return home from Delhi’s borders till the new agri laws are repealed, the farm organisation’s Haryana president Gurnam Singh Chaduni said on Wednesday.

He also said the union will hold programmes, such as panchayats and mahapanchayats, to make the country aware that the government at the Centre is “not for the people but of corporates”.

Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi’s borders against the legislations since November 28 last year and demanding these be repealed.

“We are fighting for the rights of farmers, and they will not return home till they win, and time does not matter in this struggle,” Chaduni, who was on his way to Moradabad for a mahapanchayat, told reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Gelua village.

“This government is not for the people but of corporates and only people can fight with it. We will hold panchayats in the entire country and make people aware and associate them with us,” he said, a day ahead of a “rail roko” announced by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest.

Chaduni alleged that the entire agri business was being given to corporates and said the farmers’ movement was for their “survival”.

“Agriculture is our livelihood and not our business. The food grains of the country will go into godowns of corporates and they will indulge in black marketing. This is an ‘andolan’ (movement) not only of farmers but of all,” he said.

Farmers are protesting against the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The three farm laws, enacted in September last year, have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain. — PTI  

New Delhi, February 17

Farmers sitting on protest against the Government’s new farms laws have started preparing to face the scorching summer heat at Singhu village.

They are planning to install fans, coolers, generators at the protest site.

There are two stages set up at the Singhu protest site—one stage facing toward Delhi where the protesting farmers can be seen sitting at an open space, while the second stage is near Kundli village (border area of Delhi and Haryana), which is fully covered with tarpaulin.

The farmers leaders told IANS that various social organisations have come forward to provide fans and coolers to the protesting farmers.

“We are preparing to replace these tarpaulin-made tents under which farmers have been sitting for over 80 days braving chilly winds so far. With the summer having started and with every passing day becoming hotter, we are planning to install fans and coolers and if need be, air conditioners will also be provided. The changes would happen in the next couple of days,” said Kulveer Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, who is also a member of the Krantikari Kisan Union.

He said that volunteers have started preparing for initiating the changes at the protest sites.

“Two such setups have already come up behind both the stages. We are not only planning to beat the summer heat, but we will also ensure that farmers get chilled potable water in the coming days.”

Apart from tarpaulin shades or plastic tents, most of the farmers stay in their tractor-trolleys they have brought from their villages. All the tractor-trolleys parked across the road or outside (Delhi-Chandigarh highway) could be seen covered with tarpaulin.

Many tractor-trolleys that have carried farmers from different villages and districts from Haryana and Punjab are fitted with fans to provide cool air to the farmers. — IANS

Puducherry, February 17

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the killing of his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 brought him tremendous pain but he nursed no anger or hatred towards those responsible for it.

During an interaction the Congress MP had with students of a state-run women’s college here, a pupil posed, “Your father was killed by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) what are your feelings about these people?” and he answered by saying violence cannot take away anything.

“I don’t have anger or hatred towards anybody. Of course, I lost my father and for me it was a very difficult time,” he said, adding, it was similar to having one’s heart severed.

“I felt tremendous pain, but I don’t feel anger, I don’t feel any hatred or any anger. I forgive,” he said to rounds of applause.

To the next question, he said “violence cannot take away anything from you… my father is alive in me…my father is talking through me.”

Gandhi interacted with students of Bharathidasan Government College for Women following a dialogue with people from the fishermen community.

Though most parties supported the release of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) had opposed it.

Rajiv Gandhi was killed on May 21, 1991 by a woman suicide bomber at Sriperumbudur near Chennai in a poll rally.

TNCC chief K S Alagiri had said a few months ago that if the Rajiv case convicts were to be set free, a demand would arise for the release of all “murder convicts” who had spent over 25 years in prison.

“If the court announces the release of seven Rajiv case convicts, we will accept it. However, political parties rooting for their release is unacceptable,” Alagiri had said.

The Tamil Nadu government had in 2018 recommended to Governor Banwarilal Purohit to release them. PTI

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 17

A 30-year-old man who was allegedly swinging swords that “instigated the protesters” at the Red Fort during the violence in Delhi on Republic Day has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

Maninder, who is a car mechanic, was seen in a video swinging two swords at the Red Fort on January 26 with “the intent to energise brutal and violent assault against the Police persons on duty”.

As per the police, Maninder, who runs a sword training school in his neighbourhood, was radicalized by watching provoking videos on Facebook.

The 30-year-old was picked up last evening from a bus stop near CD block in Pitampura.Subsequently two swords (khandas) used by the accused in Red Fort has been recovered from his house in Swaroop Nagar,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (special cell) Pramod Kumar Kushwaha said.

“A long video of him swinging swords at Red Fort has been found from his mobile phone. Further interrogation of the accused is in process,” he added.

Police have further disclosed that Maninder had motivated six other persons from his neighbourhood to join the tractor rally on January 26.

“Maninder’s sword dancing had motivated violent protestors to cause more mayhem at the Red Fort by indulging in violence against the public servants including the policemen and causing damage to historic Red Fort,” Kushwaha explained.