Monday, October 15, 2018

Punjab - Barnala Farmers Protest - Salute the heroic Rally in Barnala says Harsh Thakor




SALUTE THE HEROIC RALLY IN BARNALA IN PUNJAB ON OCTOBER 13TH ORGANISED BY BHARATIYA KISAN UNION(UGRAHAN) .IT VOCIFEROUSLY DEMANDED A SOLUTION FOR STUBBLE BURNING AND CONDEMNING GOVT.APATHY FOR BEING SO CRITICAL OF FARMERS.APPROXIMATELY 50-75,000 PEOPLE ASSEMBLED REMINISCENT OF A THUNDERSTORM OR TORRENT EMERGING CONVERGING TO THE FRUIT MARKET GROUND IN BARNALA LIKE A MIGHTY ARMY.A SPARK THAT WAS LIT TURNED INTO A PRAIRIE FIRE .

Yesterday Barnala fruit market ground witnessed one of the most intense and impactfull rallies ever staged in the history of revolutionary movement in Punjab with around 1 lakh peasants converging resembling many streams turning into a big ocean.

The speakers vociferously condemned the pro-imperialist policies of the ruling classes that payed no heed to the interests of the farmers by providing no alternative to the burning of paddy stubble and adressed only 9% of the peasant population with its programme.

Most unfairly the govt.blamed the farmers for the pollution caused and not the damage caused by the multi-nationals.

Chandigarh : Scores of farmers Saturday held a demonstration at Punjab's Barnala district, asking the government to come out with a viable solution for stubble burning.

Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), farmers including women gathered at Barnala's grain market, protesting against the state and central government for allegedly harassing paddy growers in Punjab.

They demanded the government give farmers Rs 200 per quintal as the bonus for the management of crop residue if it failed to propose a viable solution for stubble burning problem.

Also Read | Crop burning worsens Delhi air, haze makes breathing difficult for second day in Mumbai

"The government should come out with a proper solution for stubble burning problem or else give us Rs 200 per quintal as a bonus for the management of crop residue," said BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Khokrikalan.

They sad by using farm machinery, only 9 per cent of the stubble which comes around 20 lakh tonne out of 220 lakh tonne can be managed, said Khokrikalan. He said farmers were being unnecessarily defamed over stubble burning issue.

"Stubble burning causes only 8 per cent of air pollution and only paddy growers are being blamed for causing environmental pollution. But nobody speaks about those who cause 92 per cent of pollution," he further said. Farmers also accused private farm equipment companies of making the profit by hiking the cost of machinery.

"Farmers do not want that they should burn the stubble as it causes environmental pollution. But they have to do so in the absence of any workable solution to the problem," he said. Punjab and Haryana annually generate 220 and 65 lakh tonne of paddy stubble, respectively.


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