BKU (Ugrahan) alleges cold shoulder by farmer unions, says not invited for talks
Cracks surface for third time in a fortnight since agitation gathered momentum
The Left-backed Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), which has a significant following in south Punjab, on Wednesday alleged that it had not been called for talks by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, comprising 30 other farm organisations, at Singhu border to decide on the stand to be taken after the Centre shares its draft proposal.
Though the sixth round of talks between agitating farmers and the Centre scheduled on Wednesday has been cancelled, a meeting of farmer union leaders will be held to decide on the course of action on the draft proposal.
BKU Ugrahan president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the Morcha had agreed for talks with Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday night without taking his faction on board.
Fourteen leaders from various farmer unions met Shah but the government did not invite the Ugrahan faction. “The Morcha did not contact us either for today’s meeting at Singhu on the Haryana-Delhi border to decide on the future course,” he said.
GOVT TRYING TO DIVIDE FARM UNIONS: UGRAHAN
The government is trying to divide the unions and the Morcha leaders should be aware of the Centre’s design to derail the mass movement against the three farm laws, he said.
“We will take a decision on the future course after consulting other unions but the Morcha should have insisted that the Centre hold talks in the presence of representatives of all farmer unions participating in the agitation,” he said.
“It is good to know that the delegation did not agree to an offer of amendments as the farming community demands the rollback of the three laws and two ordinances back,” Ugrahan added.
THIRD INCIDENT OF DIFFERENCE WITH OTHERS
In the past two weeks, Ugrahan has differed thrice with 30 other farm unions of Punjab on the course of the agitation.
On November 26, all farmer unions, barring the BKU (Ugrahan), undertook the Dilli Chalo protest, forcibly entering Haryana from Punjab after breaking barricades. The next day, the Ugrahan faction blamed the joint forum for breaching the understanding reached by national farmer unions that activists will undertake indefinite dharnas, wherever the authorities stop them.
On November 25, Ugrahan had criticised the two-month-long rail blockade by farmer organisations, saying it was wrong as it had hit the industrial and agricultural interests of Punjab.
