Ludhiana, Nov 22 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday said the farmers' agitation against three farm laws will be always remembered as a 'watershed movement' to protect the democratic and human rights in the country.
The Chief Minister along with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu handed over letters of appointment to five next of kin of farmers who died during the agitation. Channi said this movement has upheld the ethos of democratic values and human rights in the country.
He said this agitation will ever inspire the countrymen to fight for their democratic and human rights while relentlessly waging a peaceful battle. The Punjab government is always with the food growers of the country, he said.
The Chief Minister reiterated that instead of sitting idle, all Punjabis and, especially, the farmers have to remain vigilant until the draconian farm laws are repealed.
He said fresh conspiracies are being hatched to harm the interests of the farmers besides derailing progress and prosperity of Punjab. Making a scathing attack on those leaders who are welcoming the announcement of Prime Minister to repeal the laws, Channi said these pseudo nationalist leaders are part and parcel of these anti-Punjab conspiracies.
The Chief Minister questioned these leaders to explain the rationale behind merrymaking as there is hardly any reason to rejoice since Punjab had lost more than 700 sons and daughters during the struggle.
He said those hailing the decision are supporting the atrocities meted out by the Union government to the agitating farmers, which was undesirable and unwarranted.
Channi said it was shameful that for the sake of their vested political interests some political leaders are hell bent upon sacrificing the interests of the state, especially the farmers.
The Chief Minister said that the announcement regarding repealing of black laws was baseless until and unless guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops is not made.
He said the Union government must ensure that each and every grain of the farmers is lifted on MSP so that the exploitation of farmers in hands of private players is avoided.
This agreement would set an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Portugal on sending and accepting Indian workers and a Joint Committee will be set up to follow up the implementation of the same.
These internal differences notwithstanding, the Taliban are reaching out to regional/global powers underlining their desire to build "good relations" with the neighbouring countries, especially China which has "always contributed" to the Afghan economy, as well as with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, India and Uzbekistan.
Jorhat district police chief Ankur Jain said that the police and the disaster management personnel located the capsized boat about 350 metres from the riverbank.
Demanding the MSP of wheat to be fixed at Rs 2,830 per quintal (as against present Rs 2,015 per quintal), Amarinder Singh said the farmers should not be forced to subsidise the consumers, which they have been doing since long.
Amarinder Singh said MP Pratap Bajwa had already demanded a district status for Batala, in his letter dated August 11 and had cited Batala's historic importance and its connection with Guru Nanak Dev, who had married Mata Sulakhni in Batala in 1487.
A source in the security set up said that Srinagar alone recorded 16 terror-related incidents, 21 per cent of the total of 75 incidents reported from across the Valley till so far this year, leaving behind the traditional hotbed of terrorism of Pulwama, Anantnag and Shopian.
