Kannaur firing: 'Dilli Chalo' on hold, Congress slams Centre over death of farmer

The 'Dilli Chalo' march by farmers has been put on hold for a period of two days following a fatal altercation between a protester and law enforcement at the Punjab-Haryana border. Currently, farmers are gearing up for a pivotal meeting to strategize their next steps.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)said it will hold its National Coordination Committee and the General Body meeting on Thursday to discuss the situation and take "decisive action to advance the struggle."

Following the incident, farmers suspended their 'Dilli Chalo' march for two days after what they claimed that a protester was killed and 12 police personnel were injured during clashes at Khanauri border with Haryana with Haryana. The Haryana Police said that nobody was killed.

Meanwhile, Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress party, utilized the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to highlight what he perceives as "assaults on farmers under the BJP regime."

Kharge expressed deep anguish over the loss of Shubhakaran Singh, a young farmer from Bathinda, who tragically lost his life due to gunfire at the Khanauri border. He referenced past incidents including the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, where a Union Minister's son allegedly ran over farmers with his car, as well as the police firing on protesting farmers in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress leader also recalled derogatory remarks made by Prime Minister Modi in Parliament, referring to farmers as 'andolanjeevis' (professional protesters) and 'parasites'.

Echoing similar sentiments, former party chief Rahul Gandhi condemned the death of Shubhakaran Singh, asserting that history would hold the BJP accountable for the "murder of farmers" shielded by a sympathetic media.

K.C. Venugopal, a general secretary of the party, accused the BJP of openly committing atrocities against protesting farmers. He emphasized that the death of 21-year-old Shubhakaran had deeply impacted the nation, and vowed that no farmer would forgive the BJP government for its perceived callousness.

Venugopal also drew attention to the previous protests where 700 farmers lost their lives, suggesting a recurring pattern of negligence towards farmers. He predicted a backlash against the BJP government in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, asserting that India had never witnessed such hostility towards its farming community before.

(With inputs from IANS)