CHANDIGARH: The massive Kisan panchayat held on Tuesday in a resolution decided to back the struggle of militants if they united and shunned those indulging in looting and extortions in Punjab.
It said that a large number of anti-social elements in the garb of militants were looting the villagers insulting and harassing them.
The kisan panchayat was organized at the Parade Ground here by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)Ajmer Singh Lakhowal president of the BKU Punjab presided over it
The kisan panchayat passed 23 economic resolutions concerning its demands the BKU which chims to be an economic wing of the farmers of Punjab is affiliated to the Chaudhary Mahinder Singh Tikait led BKU.
The time and content of the leader’s speeches were more on a political and religious nature. Some leaders were heard raising the demand for a sovereign Sikh state and demanding freedom citing the examples of the USSR developments. The leaders advised the Union government to learn a lesson from the developments in the USSR.
Ajmer Singh Lakhowal warned that a list of all those officers committing atrocities on the Sikhs was being prepared and the action would be taken at appropriate time.
The Chandigarh Police had made an elaborate security arrangement. Traffic was diverted to prevent the entry of vehicles close to the Parade Ground. The farmers who came to the city on trucks and tractor-trolleys were al first stopped at the Mohali and Panchkula barriers. But in the afternoon they were allowed to reach the meeting place. The farmers who came earlier had to park their vehicles at Mohali and Panchkula and use other means of transportation to reach the Parade Ground. Those who came after the entry was allowed to park their vehicles in the open space intersecting Sector 12 and 18.
Surprisingly the Secretary neither to the Gee nor of Punjab Kanwal Nain Singh spoke from the same stage where the farmer leaders gave secessionist speeches. Addressing the farmers Kanwal Nain Singh assured that within 10 to 15 days the Governor of Punjab would hold a meeting with the BKU representatives regarding their demands. Lakhowal submitted him a copy of the memorandum.
After this assurance by Kanwal Nain Singh the BKU executive committee held a short meeting near the venue of the kisan panchayat to decide about their future action. After Nain Singh left the venue Lakhowal threatened that if up to Sept.20 the Governor did not accept their demands the BKU would announce the “social boycott” of the Governor and would not allow this entry into the villages.
The kisan panchayat reiterated the resolutions passed at the Anandpur Sahib Sikh conclave on Sept.1. It appealed to the Sikh organizations to boycott the elections and launch a united struggle against the state repression Punjab.
The 23 demands mentioned in memorandum submitted to Governor include handing over possession of the water heads and dams to Punjab no further supply of river water and electricity to other states from Punjab fix the prices of agricultural produce taking into account the price index of 1967 waiving of loans release of tubewells connections withdrawal of the CRPF and BSF from Punjab and end to fake encounters and police revisions and of black laws like TADA royalty on food-grains expenditure of savings deposited in Punjab banks on the developments state and compensation for damaged by various diseases
Among the prominent who addressed the panchayat included Ajaib Singh general secretary Prof Manjit Kadhian general secretary Pishora Singh vice-president Punjab BKU.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
