As farmers unions in Punjab moved from surprise to controlled outrage at Manjinder Singh Sirsa’s decision to join their reply. BJPHe made it very clear that the former DSGMC chief, despite being one of its most prominent and vocal supporters, would not be able to derive any political mileage from his year-long protest. BKU (Dakonda) chief Buta Singh Burjgil said: “If Sirsa is thinking of contesting from Punjab on a BJP ticket and feels that it will get sympathy, then it is living in a fool’s paradise. Punjab will not forgive the BJP which has been harassing farmers for more than a year.
BKU (Ugrahan) senior vice president Shingara Singh Mann said, “BJP is desperate to find new Sikh faces and they have found one in Sirsa. It seems that SAD was sidelining him and hence he joined BJP. But the people of Punjab will treat him as we would treat any BJP candidate. Modi withdrew the agriculture law but after the death of 700 farmers. we will not forget. Our struggle forced them to bow down and anyone who tries to take political mileage out of the struggle will have to face the music. Amarinder will also get the same treatment.”
Sometime back, Sirsa activists were present with Nodeep Kaur’s family when they were granted bail and termed it as a big victory for the legal team of DSGMC. Recently, he had gone to Mumbai to register an FIR against actress Kangana Ranaut for making statements against farmers.
“He was in Mumbai to file an FIR against Kangana Ranaut and now he is in the BJP. What a turning point!” said Prem Singh Bhangu, president of the All India Kisan Mahasabha, Punjab.
He said, ‘I was in touch with Sirsa when the bail battle of the arrested people was going on and DSGMC was helping us. It seems that he wants to make political gains from that farmers’ movement, but DSGMC was working for the farmers and not as an individual.”
A Delhi-based lawyer, who was part of the team of lawyers fielded by the DSGMC to help farmers in the Red Fort violence cases, said that while the SAD had won the DSGMC elections, Sirsa lost from the Punjabi Bagh area.
“It seems there was some politics going on against him in his own party,” he said.
Advocate Amarveer Singh Bhullar, another lawyer who has been associated with providing legal aid to farmers involved in the Delhi Morcha, said: “In Delhi, during the farmers’ agitation, Sirsa had become a popular figure. Though DSGMC was doing everything possible for the farmers, this Akali leader was behind. However, he did not say a word about his political party while working for the farmers. However, the people of Punjab will understand the game plan of the BJP.
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