Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to poll-bound Punjab, a group of 23 farmer unions under the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha said that they would hold statewide protests against the BJP's "unfulfilled promises," reported The Indian Express.
The call for the protest made by farmer unions that have decided not to contest the Punjab polls has irked the BJP, which has decided to approach the Election Commission over the same.
Apart from planning on "burning effigies "of the PM, the protesting farmers also intend to raise black flags at his cavalcade.
As part of the BJP's Punjab poll pitch, PM Modi is slated to tour the state on 14, 16, and 17 February.
"We will be burning effigies of PM Narendra Modi at the village level on February 14 – the day he is scheduled to come to Punjab for his first poll rally. Hundreds of villages will be observing protests against his visit on the day of the rally. In addition to this, on February 16, protests will be held at the tehsil level across the state," the report quoted farm leader Dr Darshanpal as saying.
Protesting farmers alleged that the government had not formed a committee on MSP, while Ashish Mishra, an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri rampage, had been given bail.
Meanwhile, responding to Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu, Union Minister and BJP in-charge for Punjab, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said that the grand old party was feeling threatened by the BJP's popularity.
The planned agitations come over a month after protesters blocked the PM's cavalcade at a flyover near Punjab's Hussainiwala, following which he returned to Delhi without addressing a scheduled rally.
The incident that took place on 5 January was labelled a security breach by the government, as the PM was stuck for 15 minutes, during which some people – including those cheering with BJP flags – had come close to his convoy.
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