On campaign trail, BJP, JJP leaders face farmers’ ire

Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have found themselves at the receiving end of farmers’ anger while touring Lok Sabha constituencies in the Jat heartland in Haryana in the run-up to the general election.

The two parties, which had entered into a post-poll alliance and formed a coalition government in the State in 2019, had parted ways on March 12 this year after the JJP insisted on contesting two seats in the Lok Sabha election, while the BJP was unwilling to spare a single seat. The JJP then announced that it would be contesting all 10 seats on its own.

During their election campaigns, the leaders of both parties are being greeted with black flags and slogans by local villagers and farmer unions. While BJP leaders are being questioned over the use of force against farmers during their year-long agitation against the now-scrapped farm laws in 2021, JJP leaders are targeted over allying with the BJP and then maintaining silence over the stir.

Convoy stopped

In a video that went viral on social media last week, a group of men can be seen blocking the convoy of JJP leader Dushyant Chautala from entering Hisar’s Nara village in Narnaund sub-division. A young man donning a green turban is seen arguing with the former Deputy Chief Minister, while another man in the crowd, amid hoots and jeers, repeatedly says he won’t be allowed to enter the village.

A few minutes later, Mr. Chautala steps out of his SUV, enters another vehicle parked at a distance, and speeds away, bypassing the village. He faced similar opposition at Gamra and Khanpur Sindhar villages later that day.

In another video, a convoy of vehicles led by JJP national president Ajay Chautala is seen being stopped from entering Bhiwani’s Kungar village in Bawani Khera sub-division amid slogans of “Kisan Ekta Zindabad (Long live farmers’ unity)”. Amid the clamour, a man in the video can be heard accusing Mr. Ajay Chautala of enjoying power for more than four years and never sparing a thought for farmers.

Ranjit Chautala and Ashok Tanwar — the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidates for the Hisar and Sirsa seats, respectively — and former Hisar Lok Sabha MP Brijendra Singh, who has joined the Congress after quitting the BJP, have also been at the receiving end of the farmers’ anger.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha leader Azad Palwan, who has been spearheading a farmers’ agitation in Jind’s Uchana Kalan since December 2022, said they are opposed to the Congress fielding Mr. Singh from Hisar. “He never listened to farmers while in the BJP. Now, sensing the farming community’s anger, he has joined the Congress. This is sheer opportunism. If the Congress fields him, we will announce our own candidate,” he said.

Supported by khap panchayats, the farmers’ agitation in 2021 had witnessed participation from across the State, especially in Jind, Hisar, Bhiwani, Kurukshetra, and Sirsa districts, with the police and farmers involved in clashes on a few occasions. During the agitation, too, the farmers had banned BJP and JJP leaders from entering some villages.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni)’s Hisar division president Sikander Rori said protests are being held across Sirsa against both BJP and JJP leaders.

‘Vote to settle scores’

While JJP spokesperson Deepkamal Saharan said local villagers are not part of the protests and only a bunch of people are going around opposing the party leaders, Mr. Tanwar said the farmers’ issues are being resolved and would be addressed when the BJP returns to power.

The BJP leader accused people with vested political interests of misleading farmers and trying to provoke them to resort to violence. “Statistics comparing the 10-year rule of the UPA and the NDA make it amply clear that the Narendra Modi government has done far more for the farmers than the Congress,” he said. Meanwhile, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda has appealed to the people to avoid confrontations with leaders and use their voting power to settle scores.