Black flags shown to wrestler-turned-politician Babita Phogat and state Women and Child Development Minister Kamlesh Dhanda by farmers

News Desk: Continuing their protests against BJP-JJP leaders in Haryana, farmers on Thursday showed black flags to wrestler-turned-politician Babita Phogat and state Women and Child Development Minister Kamlesh Dhanda at different places where they had gone to participate in government functions.

On Thursday, CM Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of several projects in 16 districts through video link. To be part of this event, Babita Phogat had gone to the mini secretariat of Charkhi Dadri, while Dhanda had gone to Kaithal’s mini secretariat for the same. Keeping in view the plan of protests by the farmers, the police had installed barricades in both towns to maintain law and order.

Phogat khap leader Balwant Numberdar, who participated in the protest held in Dadri, said farmers registered their opposition against the BJP leader by showing her black flags in a peaceful manner.

“As per new guidelines, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has decided not to oppose the visit of BJP leaders for personal events like marriage and participation in the cremation processions. But we will continue to stage protests against them whenever they move to the political events and their programmes organised by the administration,” says Numberdar.

The khap leader added that the administration used a different route for Babita Phogat’s exit from the venue as farmers were staging a protest outside. A close associate of Babita, Rahul Phogat said the administration might have opted a different route to avoid a confrontation with the agitators and maintain law and order.

On May 30 too, Babita Phogat had faced ire of the agitating farmers in a village of Charkhi Dadri when she had gone to address public meetings in a few villages of the district. Babita, who joined the BJP in 2019 but lost her first election, was appointed as the chairperson of Haryana Women Development Corporation by the Manohar Lal Khattar government in 2020.

Meanwhile, Kaithal BKU president Hoshiar Singh Gill said they showed black flags to Kamlesh Dhanda when she had gone to the local mini secretariat. The BKU leader said the women who had gone to Kaithal in two tractor-trolleys were also among the protesters.

Meanwhile, a large cavalcade of farmers’ vehicles led by BKU leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni moved to Delhi’s Singhu border from Panipat district to join the ongoing dharna there.

A few days back too, another large cavalcade of vehicles had gone to Delhi from Ambala district. The agitators have planned movement of similar cavalcades to Delhi borders from other places too to increase the number of protesters there. The farmers are on warpath for the past six months to oppose three contentious farm laws introduced by the BJP government in the Centre.