Farmers’ Uprising Against PADB Bank: Sit-in Protest Continues on Day 23…
Faridkot/Muktsar (Alexander D’Souza): The protest organized by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Siddhupur) against the alleged excesses of the Primary Agricultural Development Bank (PADB) and the obstinate attitude of its officials has entered its 23rd day today. Resentment among the farmers is mounting as repeated meetings with the administration have failed to yield any concrete results.
Key Allegations and Demands:
Leveling serious allegations against the bank administration, the farmers have put forward the following points:
Economic Exploitation: Under the guise of loan recovery, farmers are being made to pay back amounts that are double or triple the original sum.
Collusion between Officials and Agents: Bank employees and the ‘agents’ appointed by them stand accused of harassing the farmers.
Demand for Action: The Union has submitted a list of affected farmers to the Deputy Commissioner and MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon, demanding strict action against the corrupt officials involved.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal Launches a Sharp Attack on the Centre:
During the protest, the Union’s State President, Sardar Jagjit Singh Dallewal, took aim at the Central Government’s foreign policy and agricultural agreements, asserting that the agricultural deals currently being forged with the United States would push the country toward economic servitude. He further stated that lab-produced ‘GM’ (Genetically Modified) food products pose a serious threat to the health of the Indian populace.
Key Points of Dallewal’s Warning:
Cheap Import Policy: The influx of cheap liquor and soybean oil from abroad will devastate India’s horticulture sector and indigenous oil industries.
Ethanol Crisis: This policy will also have a detrimental impact on factories engaged in the production of ethanol from maize.
Threat to Indigenous Industries: The existence of indigenous farming and industries is at risk due to the unrestricted import of foreign products.
“The Sit-in Will Not End Until Justice Is Served”
District President Bohar Singh Rupaiya Wala categorically stated that this struggle would not cease until:
The aggrieved farmers receive justice. No accountability has been established, nor has adequate compensation been received, regarding the deaths of Hari Nao’s two brothers.
Prominent Leaders Present:
A large number of farmers participated in this protest, including Sahib Singh Sher Singh Wala, Lovepreet Chak Sahu, Gurmel Singh Dod, and various other Block and Unit Presidents.
News: 21-2,
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