Addressing the protest at Mansa, Hardev Singh Arshi, peasant leader and nationalcouncil member of the Communist Party of India, said that the neo-liberal and procorporate economic policies of the BJP led government at the centre are leading to the ruin of the peasantry and rural labour already trapped in debt.

The debt burden has been pushing the farmers to the brink, forcing them to commit suicides. Meanwhile, the Central budget has played a cruel joke with peasantry announcing a help of five hundred per month to peasants, instead waiving off the loan. Even the Congress government did nothing to write of the loans in the state which they had promised before elections. Theydid not fulfil their election promise of implementing Swaminathan recommendations forremunerative prices. Instead they accentuated the crisis by demonetisation and GST.

He was speaking to hundreds of farmers and khet mazdoors who with red flags in their hands had gathered at district courts after marching through bazaars of Mansa.

Hardev Arshi criticised the Jumla budget prepared for coming elections to win back the people that had rejected BJP government in three states in recent assembly elections. But, Arshi declared that the peasants and people will not fall into this Jumla trap.

The protest was also addressed by Krishan Chauhan, district president of BKMU, Nihal Singh, district president of Punjab Kisan Sabha. Chauhan demanded that recognition of political parties which do not fulfil the elction promises be scrapped. Dharna was also addressed by Sita Ram Gobindpura, Darshan Pandher and others.

In district Fazilka, the protest action was led by Hansraj Golden, CPI district secretary and Surinder Dhandian, the state leader of Kisan Sabha. They marched in Jalalabad town, raised slogans, held protest rally and burnt effigy of Modi government for their Jumla Budget.

Strong protest was voiced at Amritsar which was led and addressed by Lakhbir Singh Nijampura, state Kisan leader and Amarjit Aasal, renowned leader of AITUC, and Daswinder Kaur, leader of working women and others who condemned the communal and antipeople policies of Modi government which bent upon to implement the communal agenda of RSS and economic agenda of Ambanis and adanis and increasing the burden on common people in disguise of populous budget prepared keeping in view the coming elections. They burnt the effigy of central budget at Hall Gate, Amritsar.

The protest at Goindwal in district Tarntaran was led and addressed by CPI state assistant secretary Pirthipal Singh Marhimegha who said the central budget has no planning for generating employment. Instead Modi’s policies are increasing unemployment, what to speak of promise of creating one crore jobs every year. He demanded that Right to work should be enshrined in Constitution. He demanded writing off the debts, remunerative prices, and cheap inputs for agriculture. Others who spoke included Gurdial Singh Khadoor Sahib, Baldev Singh Dhunda and others. They supported teachers’ struggle and demanded compensation for destruction caused by floods in Goindwal area.

In Patiala, Kulwant Singh Maulviwal, the state vice-president of Punjab AIKS led the protest marches and rallies at Dugaal and Shutrana, which was also addressed by Jagjit Singh Dugaal, Ram Chand Chunagra, Narata Ram and others. They burnt copies of central budget.

In Sangrur at Baxiwala the protest meeting was held at community centre of the village which was addressed by Hardev Singh Baxiwala, the state leader of Punjab Kisan Sabha. In this district at proper Sangrur the the protest action was addressed by Nirmal Singh Batriana and others.At Pathankot the protesters were addressed by Balbir Singh Giala, Dial Singh Shahidpur, Satyadev Saini and others. At Gurdaspur, Gulzar Singh and Balbir Singh Katowal led the protesters who after staging march in bazaars, held a rally and burnt effigy of budget.

The reports of Kisan protest against budget have come from Moga (Kuldip Bhola), Bathinda (Jagjit Joga and Balkaran Brar), Ludhiana, Ropar, Firozpur and Nawan Shahar also.

Bhupinder Samber, the working president of AIKS, congratulated the leaders and workers of Kisan Sabha who worked hard and implemented the central AIKS decision taken at Mumbai national council meeting and the state committee meeting. He asked the workers to be ready for big struggles ahead because the Modi government has to be ousted in order to address the agricultural problems and crisis.(IPA Service)