Karnal (Haryana): Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s ‘kisan panchayat’ at Kaimla village in Karnal district had to be cancelled after farmers protesting the Centre’s controversial agri-reform laws ransacked the venue of the meeting. They had also occupied the helipad where Khattar was to land. The incident is also embarrassing for the BJP as Karnal district is Khattar’s home constituency and the saffron party won it with one of the highest margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The farmers had already announced that they will not allow Khattar to hold the kisan panchayat and had even taken out a protest march in the village to oppose trucks laden with construction material in the middle of the road almost 4 km ahead of the village. Braving tear gas shells lobbed by the cops, protesting farmers crossed two barricades and then entered the wheat fields and marched on foot to reach close to the venue.
When the protesters reached the venue, some villagers tried to stop them with lathis, which led to a fracas. Police then used tear gas and water cannons to stop the farmers, but the protesters managed to reach the venue and vandalized the stage, broke chairs and other items.
Khattar programme cancelled for 2nd time
For the past three days, senior Karnal administration officials, including deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav and superintendent of police Ganga Ram Punia, have been trying hard to convince the farmers to refrain from raiding the venue. This is the second time the chief minister had to cancel a programme in his home district since the farmers’ agitation started at Delhi borders. Khattar had to cancel his visit to Padha village after some miscreants damaged the helipad and vandalized the venue before his visit.
Later, at a press conference, Khattar blamed the protesters and opposition parties for the chaos at the kisan panchayat venue. “Keeping in view the law and order situation, I decided to go to the Karnal venue in a helicopter. The chaos was an outcome of breach of trust by the agitators, who had agreed on a symbolic protest but they obstructed the rally. Only, I could not reach the venue otherwise those present on dais addressed the farmers and conveyed the message,” he said. The chief minister also blamed Haryana farm union leader Gurnam Singh Charuni for the standoff.
