Farmer outfits planning dharna in front of Pb CM's house ready

Farmers' outfits today said they are ready to change the venue of their five-day long dharna slated to begin on Friday from outside Moti Bagh in Patiala, the residence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, if they are alloted another place in the same town.
The announcement came after Punjab police reportedly conducted raids at different places in the wake of the call for the sit-in given by farmers unions, in support of their demands including debt waiver, implementation of Swaminathan Commission report.
"Around 200 farmers from several places have been detained by police so far. The action against farmers started yesterday," Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta) general secretary Sukhdev Singh said and condemned the police action of "forcefully" entering the farmers' houses of to nab them.

"We are ready to change the venue of the protest if the district administration allots us some other location in Patiala to hold our agitation," he said.
Singh, however, said Punjab police should first release farmers who have been detained ahead of the planned sit-in.
"The state government should release farmers who have been taken into preventive custody by the police," he said, adding farmers have the democratic right to hold protest.

Punjab police Director General of Police Suresh Arora, who visited Patiala yesterday to take stock of the situation, had said farmers would not be allowed to hold protest in Patiala as prohibitory orders have been imposed.

The farmers' outfits which had announced to stage the sit-in are Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) BKU (Dakonda), Kirti Kisan Union, Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Krantikari Kisan Union, BKU Krantikari) and Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Azaad).
They have been demanding complete farm loan waiver, implementation of Swainathan Commission report, stopping auction of farmer's land, government job and Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family member of farmers who commit suicide.