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Farmers Protest Dharna Programme of PDFI at Delhi on 30th March

The 30th March 2010 Kisan Dharna Programme of PDFI Sub-committee on Agriculture Crisis (of which Dr. Darshan Pal is the Coordinator) is going to be held as per schedule at Jantar Mantar, Delhi. It will start at 11 AM. More than 1000 people from Punjab, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi and other states are expected to attend the programme. The Dharna Programme is going to be organized on the issues related with Agriculture Crisis, such as Irrigation, Electricity, Agriculture Credit, Guarantee of MSP, Price Rise, Equitable Entitlement of Agriculture Community, Separate Budget for Agriculture etc.

It is to note that Dr. Darshan Pal (as the Coordinator of the Sub-committee on Agriculture Crisis) is the main organizer of this programme. But, the Punjab police has arrested him along with several farmers' and agriculture workers' leaders to suppress the farmers' movements, going on in Punjab and other states.

The arresting of Dr. Darshan Pal is directly related with the farmers' struggles of Punjab. Altogether 22 farmers', agriculture workers' and employees' organisations organized a massive joint rally of more than 25000 people at Jagraon, mainly against imposing electricity charges on farmers and agriculture workers, privatization of electricity and  repression on farmers' movement. The meeting was steered by Balkar Singh Dakaunda (the President of BKU-Ekata, Punjab and the All India Coordination Committee member of PDFI). They gave a call to resist the anti people move of the Punjab Govt. and announced that 22 unions of farmers and rural farm labourers would stage a peaceful protest march and hold a Dharna in front of the office of the DIG, Boarder Range, from March 25 to 27 to pressurize the state police to arrest the killers of Sadhu Singh Thaktupura (one of the leaders of BKU-Ekata) and assailants of five farmers who were roaming scot-free.

Dr.Darshan Pal attended the Rally on behalf of PDFI. After the rally participating organisations began to prepare the masses. Punjab Govt. and the police decided to suppress the movement. So, they arrested Balkar Singh Dakaunda (the President of BKU-Ekata, Punjab) and some other farmers' leaders on 22^ndMarch. Dr. Darshan Pal was picked up by Punjab police on 23^rd March when he went to attend a Dharna at Samana -25 KMs from Patiala. Police also raided his Patiala house and seized some books and literatures. But, till now he has been booked under the same case as upon the other farmers' leaders under Sect.107&151.  Next day Dr. Darshan Pal has been sent to judicial custody up to 28th March.

Now, it has become our duty to raise the issue of such repression of Punjab police in the Dharna Programme of 30th March. So, we invite and make an earnest appeal to all the pro-people forces to join the Dharna Programme (11AM to 4 PM) at  Jantar Mantar, Delhi on 30^th March 2010 and jointly raise the issue of the arresting of Dr, Darshan Pal, Balkar Singh Dakaunda  and other farmer leader of Punjab.

Arjun Pd. Singh (on behalf of the AICC of PDFI) / 25.3.2010