Archives for February 2021

According to a statement, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will collect data on such missing persons and the matter will be taken up with the authorities for formal action

NEW DELHI: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmers’ unions, on Sunday claimed that over 100 people were missing since the violence during the tractor parade on Republic Day, and it has set up a six-member committee to look into the matter.

According to a statement, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will collect data on such missing persons and the matter will be taken up with the authorities for formal action.

Any information on missing persons can be shared on phone number 8198022033, it added.

The tractor parade on January 26 that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the three new agriculture laws descended into anarchy as tens of thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

Clashes broke out in multiple places, leading to violence in well-known landmarks of Delhi and its suburbs, amid waves of violence that ebbed and flowed through the Republic Day.

The SKM condemned the arrest of journalists and others based on “false and fabricated” charges.

It claimed that the government was afraid of the rising strength of the farmers’ movement.

It also denounced suspension of Internet services at various protest sites on Delhi’s borders.

“The government does not want the facts to reach the protesting farmers. It is fearful of the coordinated work of the farmers’ unions across different protest sites and is trying to cut off communication between them. This is undemocratic and illegal,” the statement read.

The SKM also questioned the cordoning off of the protest sites “from a long distance disallowing common people and mediapersons from reaching the Singhu border”.

“This is also to disrupt the supply of food and water,” it alleged.

The morcha claimed that a protestor from Maharashtra, who took part in an agitation in Shahjahanpur, died on Sunday.

“Shayra Pawara was just 21 years old and her sacrifice will be remembered,” the statement said.

Sunday was declared as Sadbhavana Diwas and was observed across the country, the morcha said, adding faculty members and scholars of Punjab Agriculture University also observed one-day fast in support of the farmers.

NEW DELHI:  Even as an internal assessment shows the party reaching the halfway mark in the 294-member Bengal Assembly, BJP strategists are acutely aware of the well-oiled cadre of the ruling Trinamool Congress. 

The BJP has taken an early start to the campaign for the Bengal election which is due in April-May. Former BJP chief Amit Shah and his successor J P Nadda are leading the saffron charge, with the former pushing the party leaders with the target to win over 200 seats.

“The assessment within the party currently is that reaching the halfway mark is within the reach in the prevailing situations. The exodus of TMC leaders is giving the BJP much attention in the state. But the real challenge lies when the electioneering in the real sense begins and the manner in which the TMC responds to the BJP’s campaign,” said a senior BJP strategist. 

The BJP strategists are monitoring on the alignment of the TMC cadre and the possible understanding with the Left-Congress combine on the ground.

“The principal challenge remains to build the campaign on the ground, particularly in rural areas. This may get a boost with the induction of the TMC veterans who are regional satraps. But the TMC has an edge because of the strength of its cadre and the appeal of Mamata,” added the BJP strategist.       

Within the BJP, the party leaders are counting on two scenarios on hypothetical joining of the forces from the ranks of TMC and the Left and the Congress. 

“Either the BJP may not be able to build the campaign on the ground, which may restrict the party to two digits, or the ideological contradictions in rival camps may give a groundswell to take it beyond 200 seats on the lines of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP will need to match up to the power of the Trinamool and the Left on the polling booth level,” said a senior BJP functionary.  

The BJP campaign is currently seen around Shah and Nadda, with major thrust on promises to implement Central schemes, including PM-Kisan Nidhi, Ayushman Bharat and others.