Chandigarh:- In the midst of the continued deadlock between Punjab’s farmer unions and the Centre, the protesting farmers on Saturday declared to observe ‘Black Diwali’ against the ‘black’ farm laws.
Their day-long conversations finished inconclusively in Delhi on Friday.
A statement by the BKU Ekta (Dakaunda) said, “We will light mashals (torches) on Diwali night as a sign of our sangharsh (protest).”
A day prior, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh invited the positive spirit in which the farmers‘ unions and the Center conducted conversations on the imbroglio over the agricultural laws and other relevant issues.
Naming it a constructive development, the Chief Minister stated the gathering had, for the first time, allowed the two sides to converse in an open environment and hoped it would make way for breaking the stalemate on the matter.
The fact that the two sides got together and agreed to discover solutions proposes that they had come to a mutual realisation on the need to discover solutions for the drawn-out crisis set off by the farm laws, he stated.
Referring to media reports, the Chief Minister hoped the farmer unions’ internal conversations on November 18, ahead of another meeting with the Central government on November 21, would help distinguish the solid ways and means to thrash out the different points raised at Friday’s extensive conversations.
The call given by the angry farmers to celebrate “black Diwali” has badly hit the business sector.
A wholesale dealer, Sanjiv Kumar, said farmers borrowed cash from arhtiyas ahead of time or took cash after selling their crops, which they used on purchases. However, this time because of protests, farmers had disappeared from the market.
Amit Kapoor, president, Beopar Mandal, Punjab, said that they expected good business during the festive season, but the situation is bad. The orders have come down as people are not making any major purchases and spending on essential household items only.
Punjab, that has endured tremendous financial losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been seriously hit by the current crisis set off by the Central farm laws, said Amarinder Singh, as emphasised on the requirement for the urgent resolution of the issue in light of the interest of the state and all areas of its population.
