Bathinda: Farmer organisation BKU Ekta Sidhupur will launch an indefinite morcha outside the residence of Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Wednesday.The union alleged that the state govt had neither fulfilled assurances made to the family of two indebted farmer brothers who died by suicide in March, nor addressed issues related to loans advanced by Punjab State Cooperative Agriculture Development Banks (PADBs).The union, which has prepared tractor-trailers, plans to move towards Sandhwan village in Faridkot district on Wednesday. BKU Ekta Sidhupur has already been holding protests outside PADB offices in various districts on the issue.The agitation is linked to the case of Jaskaran Singh (38) and his younger brother Jaswinder Singh (34), residents of Hari Nau village in Faridkot, who allegedly died by suicide after jumping in front of a train near Bahmanwala village on March 23. The union has been demanding loan waiver and adequate compensation for the bereaved family.Farmer leaders said speaker Sandhwan had announced financial assistance for the family but the promised support has not been provided so far.BKU Ekta Sidhupur vice-president Kaka Singh Kotda said mounting debt was pushing farmers into distress. He alleged that farmers were being denied a legal guarantee for MSP at the Centre and that the Punjab govt had failed to ensure remunerative prices despite assurances.“We have waited long enough for the govt to honour its commitments to the bereaved family. Since no concrete action has been taken, we are launching an indefinite morcha at the residence of Kultar Singh Sandhwan,” Kotda said.
