Farmers To Show Black Flags To PM Modi During Elections Rallies In Punjab

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha planned to show black flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to Punjab for election campaigning.

File photo of Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal. ( Image Source :PTI )

Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal announced on Tuesday that farmers plan to show black flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to Punjab for election campaigning.

This decision was made during a rally organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha in Jagraon, Ludhiana district. Modi's campaign will begin with a rally in Patiala on May 23, followed by rallies in Gurdaspur and Jalandhar on May 24.

The BJP has fielded four-time MP Preneet Kaur from the Patiala parliamentary constituency, Sushil Rinku from Jalandhar, and former MLA Dinesh Babbu from Gurdaspur.

After the Jagraon rally, Rajewal told PTI, "We have decided today to protest against Modi by showing black flags when he comes to Punjab." He added that farmers have been opposing BJP leaders since the Lok Sabha elections were announced, accusing Modi's policies of being pro-corporate.

"Modi's policies are pro-corporate," Rajewal alleged. Leaders of the farmers, however, insisted that their demonstration would be nonviolent.

At the rally, they criticised the BJP government for failing to fulfill promises of doubling farmers' income, enacting a law on minimum support price (MSP), and implementing the Swaminathan Commission report.

BJP candidates in Punjab are encountering protests from farmers during their campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. As part of the protests, farmers question BJP leaders and display black flags due to unmet demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP for crops.

Farmers affiliated with various organisations are dissatisfied with the BJP-led Centre's refusal to meet their demands and have been blocked from heading towards Delhi, leading them to camp at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points of Punjab and Haryana.

The SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the 'Delhi Chalo' march to urge the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab to be held on June 1.