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A delegation of 35 farmers is set to meet Union agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday to resolve the crisis over the newly-enacted farm laws. The Centre had extended invitation to three more leaders after the last meeting on Tuesday remained inconclusive.
Here are the farm leaders who will be part of the delegation:
Shivkumar Kakkaji Sharma
Shiv Kumar Sharma, nicknamed Kakkaji, is an angry farmer leader who has been railing against the government for the last several years. The-65 years-old farmer-activist has been associated with an RSS backed farmer outfit, sacked after his repeated attacks on the BJP-led government in the state, and by his own admission, jailed 44 times. He started out as a student activist back in 1971. It was in Jabalpur University where he studied from 1971 to 1977 as a law student, doing MA LLB where he dabbled in activism, first by holding protests for farmers’ rights and later providing them legal assistance pro bono.
Baldev Singh Nihalgarh
He began with CPI’s youth wing, AIYF, and later became one of the frontline farmer leaders of Punjab. He is part of Kul Hind Kisan Sabha.
Hannan Mollah
Hannan Mollah was a Member of the Parliament between 1980 and 2009. He has all along represented the constituency Uluberia in Howrah district of West Bengal. He won the seat eight times in a row and lost to Sultan Ahmed of the Trinamool Congress in the 2009 election. Mollah is a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He is currently a member of the Central Secretariat of the party. He is also the General Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha and a Joint Secretary of the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union.
Jagmohan Singh Patiala
Singh is a marginal farmer who used to work in the cooperative department of the Punjab government. He was an activist of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta before a break-up 15 years ago led to the emergence of the Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Dakaunda), which he now serves as general secretary.
Buta Singh Burj Gill
Gill has been working among farmers since 1984 and was among leaders who gheraoed Punjab Raj Bhawan for several days in 1984. He was earlier part of BKU (Ekta-Sidhupur) faction, which suffered a split in 2006.
Balbir Singh Rajewal
Rajewal is a well-known figure in Punjab. He has headed his faction of the BKU since he broke away from the original outfit in the 1990s. He is credited with having drafted the constitution of the BKU. He has prepared the demand charter for this protest.
Darshan Pal
Pal is the president of Krantikari Kisan Union Punjab, which has been working for farm loan waivers for several years. He is also among the farmer leaders who have played a vital role in bringing the 31 organisations together for the agitation, and now plays the role of coordinator for this grouping.
Satnam Singh Pannu
He is the president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab. He was among those who refused to ease the Rail Roko protests even when the other farmers agreed to do so after talks with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Bogh Singh Mansa
Bogh Singh, now president of the BKU, has been working on issues related to farmers for the last 42 years and got involved in activism in his student days as a coordinating member of the Punjab Students’ Union.
Bhupinder Singh Longowal
The 35-year-old is the state convener of the Kirti Kisan Union youth wing. Longowal and his team of youngsters are considered single-handedly responsible for getting rural youth involved in this agitation. Longowal is a postgraduate in political science and was a member of the Punjab Students’ Union and the Naujawan Bharat Sabha, a Left organisation dating back to pre-Independence days, before joining the Kirti Kisan Union.
Gurnam Singh Chaduni
Known for his unique ways of protesting (like throwing potatoes on the state highway), farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, is one of the first to have started mobilising farmers against the newly passed farm laws. He is also the chief of BKU. An FIR has been lodged against him in Karnal for allegedly instructing farmers to break all barricades.
Mahinder Singh
Singh has 18 cases against him in connection with farmer protests such as rail roko, jail bharo. He has been a farm activist for 23 years along with being a farmer.
Surjeet Singh Phool
Part of the BKU (Krantikari), Phool was booked under UAPA by Punjab government in 2009 when he was accused of being linked to Maoists and placed under “intensive interrogation” in jail in Amritsar. Farmers’ unions had got together in protest to demand his release.
Ruldu Singh Mansa
Mansa is founder-leader and president of All India Kisan Mahasabha.
Major Singh Punnawal
Punnawal is part of All India Kisan Sabha.
Nirbhay Singh Dudhike
Dudhike came to political forefront during an agitation against killing of two students in police firing in Moga in 1972. He was associated with Tarimala Nagi Reddy’s Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India-Marxist Leninist (UCCRI-ML).
Inderjeet Singh Kot Budha
Budha is the head of Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Punjab – Kot Buddha).
Jagjeet Singh Dalewal
Dalewal belongs to a family of farmers and is part of BKU-Sidhupur.
Harmeet Singh
His grandfather was a founding member of BKU, and Singh is among the new generation farmer-leaders in the state.
Satnam Singh Sahni
Sahni happens to be one of the youngest farmer leaders and is part of BKU (Doaba).
Balvinder Singh Aulakh
Aulakh has led agitations related to issues faced by sugarcane farmers for the last six years. He is part of Majha Kisan Committee.
Kulwant Singh Sandhu
Member of the Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, Sandhu began as a student activist with CPM’s student wing, SFI, and fought the separatist movement in Punjab.
Baldev Singh Sirsa
Sirsa is known for his litigation related to farmers’ issues and Sikh religious institutes in High Court. He is part of Lok Bhalai Insaaf Welfare Society.
Satnam Singh Behru
Behru has been working on agrarian issues for nearly four decades, and is wellknown for his petition in Supreme Court in 2011 against the Manmohan Singh government for not implementing the Swaminathan committee report.
Buta Singh Shadipur
His father was a member of SAD and Shadipur worked on issues related to farmers on behalf of the party for more than 30 years.
Jungbeer Singh Tanda
Tunda has worked for farmers on issues related to sugarcane cultivation. He is part of Doaba Kisan Samiti.
Mukesh Chandra
Chandra is the vice president of Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee and had led protests in Jalandhar in 2016.
Sukhpal Singh Daffar
Daffar is president of Ganna Sangharsh Committee which mainly represents sugarcane farmers in Dasuya. The outfit led an agitation two years ago to demand sugar mills to clear dues and increase prices.
Harpal Singh
Singh had led Azad Kisan Committee Doaba during road blockades in Hoshiarpur in September.
Baldev Singh Miyapur
Miyapur is Punjab president of BKU (Mann).
Kripal Singh Nathuvala
Nathuvala is president of Kisan Bachao Morcha, which has been vocal about farmers’ issues, including water sharing, and was involved in negotiations with Punjab government over the rail blockade.
Parminder Singh Pal Majr
Majra is Punjab president of BKU (Lakhowal) that had filed a petition against the farm laws in Supreme Court, allegedly without permission of other farmer unions.
Prem Singh Bhangu
A practicing lawyer in Punjab and Haryana High Court, Bhangu is founder president of KHKF, established in 2014. He has been associated with farmers’ issues since 1992.
Kiranjeet Sekhon
Sekhon is a practicing lawyer in Sangrur and floated a Sangrur faction of KHKF two years ago.
Harjinder Singh Tanda
Tanda is part of Azaad Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Punjab).
Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu
He is part of Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Punjab) and has been part of several agitations, including the one against land acquisition laws in 2015.
Gurbaksh Singh Barnala
Barnala is the founding member of Jai Kisaan Andolan.