By AFTER revenue enhancement officers served notices to fourteen prime arhtiyas, or commission agents, in geographic region and conducted searches at premises coupled to 6 of them over the last 2 days, a key umbrella cluster Sunday declared the closure of all mandis within the state from Dec twenty two to twenty five as a mark of protest against the action.
The Federation of Arhtiya Associations of geographic region aforementioned the arhtiyas additionally commit to gherao the offices of tax officers and a “final arrange of action” are chalked out once consulting farm leaders.
The federation’s president, Vijay Kalra, whose house and offices in Ferozepur were among those searched, alleged the I-T action “was a pressure maneuver to harass North American country as we tend to square measure supporting the farmers’ protests” against the Centre’s new agriculture laws.
At the Singhu border in urban center, meanwhile, farmer’s representatives hit out at the raids and aforementioned they’d step up their protest from Monday with a 24-hour passive resistance.
“We exchange support of the arhtiyas. we’ve got additionally determined to gherao revenue enhancement offices and protest against the action tomorrow. they ought to come back no matter they need confiscated. they need been raided as a result of they support North American country. they need helped North American country plenty, with rations and cash. These laws have hit them moreover. If they’re enforced, arhtiyas are destroyed,” aforementioned Ruldu Singh Mansa from the geographic region Kisan Morcha.
During a news conference Sunday, the farmer leaders additionally mixed up a “Thali Bajao” session throughout succeeding broadcast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat. “The Government had earlier asked voters to bang utensils against the coronavirus. we tend to attractiveness to voters that they ought to repeat it on Sunday,” aforementioned Jagjit Singh Dalewal of BKU Singhpur.
According to Jatinder Garg, the arhtiya federation’s vice chairman, they need got wind of a five-member committee to coordinate with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, that is coordinative the farm protests, to make a decision succeeding step.
“The committee can hold a gathering with the Morcha on Monday or the day once in urban center. we’ve got over four hundred arhtiya mandis in geographic region with nearly twenty eight,000 licenced ahrtiyas and some forty,000 arhtiyas in total across the state,” aforementioned Amarjeet Singh Brar, United Nations agency heads the arhtiya association in Moga and has been named as a member of the committee.
Federation chief Kalra, United Nations agency is additionally vice-chairman of Punjab’s mandi board, aforementioned his offices and house were searched on the night of Dec eighteen. “They raided my look in Makhu mandi in the dead of night and my gasoline pump. Over fifty CRPF personnel, I-T officers and police were concerned. They asked for documents and that i gave them everything. Since the keys of my look couldn’t be situated, they bust the lock,” he said.
The other agents whose premises were searched on Dec eighteen and nineteen embrace workplace bearers of assorted arhtiya associations, Pawan Kumar Goyal, Jaswinder Singh amphibian genus, Manjinder Singh Walia and Hardeep Singh Ladda.
Apart from Brar and Garg, the five-member committee fashioned by the arhtiya federation includes Sukhwinder Singh Cheema, Mahavir Singh and Naresh Bhardwaj United Nations agency hold key positions in arhtiya organisations. “If the I-T department penalises associate degree arhtiya, we’ll contribute funds to assist pay the penalty, and our support to farmers can continue. the govt should realise that this is often a public movement, and targeting arhtiyas could be a futile exercise,” aforementioned Brar.
