Amidst the ongoing farmer protest which has been under scanner for various security related concern, the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist) has extended its support to the demonstrators stationed currently at Punjab-Haryana Sambhu border.
According to a viral copy of the press release of the extremists which is doing the rounds on the social media, the Maoist has extended their support to the one-day shutdown call given by the farmer unions on Friday, February 16. The Maoist via the press release has alleged that the incumbent union government is corporate friendly and has been treating the farmers as enemies of the State.
Further, while making an appeal to the masses for their support to the said protest the extremist in the press release alleged that the government has left no stone turned in barring the entry of the farmers at the Sambhu border. The press release further claimed that all the demands of the farmers are legitimate but the government is not willing to fulfill them.
The Maoist press issue has come at a time when the Haryana police in a series of tweets has informed that attempts are being made by a few rioters to wreak havoc in guise of farmer protest. “A few rioters have been constantly wreaking havoc in the guise of farmer protest by repeated stone pelting, as many as 25 personnel including 18 policemen and 7 personnel of paramilitary forces, help us in identifying these rioters,” read a tweet of the Ambala police.
किसान आन्दोलन की आड में उपद्रवियों द्वारा शम्भू बैरियर पर मचाया जा रहा उत्पात । उपद्रवी पुलिस पर बार-बार कर रहे पत्थरबाजी पुलिस के 18 व पैरामिलट्री के 07 जवानो सहित कुल 25 जवान हुए घायल। @police_haryana @DGPHaryana @AdgpAmbalaRange pic.twitter.com/RaXLDaVkKJ
— Ambala Police (@AmbalaPolice) February 15, 2024
Notably the violent protest leading to the injuries of many has been underway amid the government holding talks with the farmer leaders. Earlier the government side which was represented by the likes of agriculture minister Arjun Munda and other cabinet ministers including Piyush Goyal and Minister of State (Mos) for Home Affairs held third round of talks with the farmers which ended in a stalemate.
However, after the marathon meeting that lasted for around 5 hours, the agriculture minister Munda remarked that a very positive discussion happened between the two side and the next meeting between the government and farmer are scheduled for Sunday, February 18.
Maoist connection to farmer protest
It is to be noted that this is not the first time that the extremist are witnessed engaging actively with the farmer protests and earlier reports pertaining to involvement of the insurgents during the farmer protest of the year 2020-21 had also came to the fore.
Earlier the banned Maoist outfit via a press release had stirred a fresh controversy over the identity of another farmer leader Darshan Pal, who was at the forefront of the protests held in the year 2020-21. The row over Darshan’s identity erupted after the Central Committee of the CPI Maoist, expelled Comrade Joseph and Comrade Sanjit Prasad, alias Arjun Prasad Singh, for anti-party work
According to the details shared by the proscribed outfit in the press release, the said comrade Joseph is none other than the much-celebrated farmer leader Darshan Pal, who was at the forefront of the much-hyped farmer agitation against the government’s move to implement three historic farm bills in the years 2020-21.
A doctor by profession, Darshan Pal reportedly turned towards farming in recent years. He is the President of the Krantikari Kisan Union and was also an active member of the All India Kisan Sanghars Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), an umbrella body of the farm unions that was at the forefront of the protest earlier.
Though, soon after the uproar over the allegations, the Krantikari Kisan Union had categorically denied Darshan’s association with the Maoist group and claimed that its association’s chief, Pal has no affiliations with any political group.
It is to be noted that a number of union cabinet ministers including Piyush Goyal and the then agriculture minister Narendra Tomar, had also pointed fingers at some of the so-called farmer leaders, alleging their affiliations with the banned Maoist outfit during the protest held in 2020-21.
It may also be noted that earlier, a few media reports suggested that documents made for internal distribution among the cadres of the banned outfit disclosed that a significant force of cadres was behind the farmer agitation and Agniveer protests against the government, indicating active involvement of the banned outfit in these protests across Bharat.
