Farmer unions which had remained at loggerheads with Khalistani militants for decades have now come out in support of pro-Khalistan radicals on the issue of ‘Bandi Singhs’, offering them their platform.
The boost to the Quami Insaf Morcha, spearheading the stir for the release on ‘Bandi Singhs’, came on January 10 when 32 farm organisations met in Phagwara and decided that each would send their cadre to Mohali in support of the Morcha.The Kirti Kisan Union, which had suffered the most at the hands of Khalistanis with three of its presidents shot dead, was the first to send its contingent.
“We believe all prisoners who have completed their sentence should be freed. Backing the Morcha was a collective decision of 32 farm organisations, so nobody can go back on it,” said Raminder Singh Patiala of the Kirti Kisan Union.
All farm unions have visited the protest site in Mohali, except the BKU-Ugrahan, which has always opposed the idea of Khalistan. Now succumbing to pressure from its cadre, it too has expressed solidarity with the Morcha. However, the BKU-Ugrahan has made it clear that it is demanding the release of all political prisoners — STs/SCs, religious minorities and Maoists — and not just the ‘Bandi Singhs’.
The issue was raised by Lok Adhikar Lehar. The BKU (Qadian) was the first to lend support. Among the farmer unions affiliated with the left, the Punjab Kisan Union and the Kirti Kisan Union were the first to express solidarity through press statements. Other unions, including those affiliated with the CPI and the CPM, followed suit. Some unions dominated by extreme left, such as the BKU (Krantikari) and the Krantikari Kisan Union (KKU), have been toying with the idea of a tactical alliance with the Khalistanis from the very beginning.
All 32 farmer organisations plan a joint protest in Mohali on February 20. Despite the support of left-dominated farm unions, a section of youths at the Mohali protest site have been raising anti-communism slogans.
