The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint coalition of farmer unions, strongly condemned the “misuse” of university campuses in Haryana for political activities by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said Inderjit Singh, vice-president, All-India Kisan Sabha, Haryana, on Monday.
Speaking at the Tikri border, Mr. Singh said the BJP had found a safe resort in various university campuses for party meetings after having boycotted by the people. He called upon the entire university community to raise its voice against the attempts of the BJP to “take over and saffronise centres of higher education”.
“On Saturday, it was the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology in Hisar, while they held a party district executive meeting at Chaudhary Devi Lal University campus at Sirsa on Sunday, where they had to face stiff resistance from protesting farmers,” said Mr. Singh.
He also condemned in strongest terms the criminal conduct of a man allegedly making obscene gestures towards protesting women farmers at the GJU Hisar Gate number 3 from a car allegedly occupied by Hansi MLA Vinod Bhayana and former Minister Manish Grover. “However, no case under relevant sections of indecent and obscene gestures has been so far registered by Hisar police despite a written complaint filed by farmers,” said Mr. Singh.
‘Abuse of institutions’
He said that the SKM wanted to make it clear that it would not allow university campuses to be transformed into party fiefdom of the BJP and organise peaceful protests to stop them from going on with this ‘abuse’ of academic institutions.
He added that the SKM had also taken serious note of Haryana being converted into a police state to suppress the farmers movement while the law and order situation is turning from bad to worse every passing day.
