• Source:JND
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Security has been heightened in Punjab as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be here for his two-day election campaign tour. PM Modi will on Thursday address a public meeting in Patiala. The following day, he is scheduled to hold rallies in Gurdaspur and Jalandhar. Notably, farm unions have announced that they will show black flags to PM Modi during his election campaign in Punjab, prompting security concerns in the state.

Adequate security measures have been adopted in Patiala’s Polo ground, where PM’s rally will take place. Under the supervision of ADGP PK Sinha, SSPs from four districts along with two thousand police personnel have been deployed at the rally site. A dog squad, bomb disposal team, SOG, special commandos, and paramilitary forces have also been stationed. In Patiala, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's wife, Preneet Kaur, is BJP’s candidate.

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Farm Unions To Show Black Flags To PM:

Sarwan Singh Pandher, who has been leading the farmers’ protest at the Shambhu Border, said that their objective was to register a protest in front of the Prime Minister regarding the demands that he had agreed upon but hasn't yet implemented. "We will move towards the Prime Minister's rally in convoys, and wherever the administration stops us, we will sit there and protest," he said.

Pandher announced that the Morcha will encircle all BJP candidates on May 28 and will announce a new strategy on June 2. The United Farmers Front will march towards Patiala from five locations. Meanwhile, the United Farmers Front (Political) has also planned to strongly oppose the Prime Minister's Patiala visit.

Under the leadership of the United Farmers Front, which has over 37 farmers' organizations, farmers will gather at five locations in Patiala district at 3 pm in the afternoon and then proceed to Patiala. Kirti Kisan Union's Raminder Singh and Bharatiya Kisan Union Shadipur's Buta Singh have stated that they will attempt to show black flags to the Prime Minister in a disciplined and peaceful manner, Jagran.com reported.

BJP Candidates Face Farmers' Ire:

BJP candidates across all 13 parliamentary constituencies of Punjab are facing massive protests by peasants. They are even being prevented from entering the villages for political campaigns. They are being greeted with black flags and sloganeering. Similar incidents have been reported from Haryana where BJP leaders are facing farmers’ ire.

BJP’s Request To Farmers:

Distraught over vehement protests by farmers in Punjab, the BJP leaders have asked the farm unions to submit a memorandum of their demands to the party so that the same could be forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rather than disrupting the latter’s upcoming rallies in the state.

Manoranjan Kalia, a member of BJP’s national executive, said that farmers should submit a demand letter to them instead of disrupting PM’s rallies. “We are assuring farmers that their demands will be taken up with the PM positively so that there is some sort of solution to their issues. Holding protests or disturbing rallies is not at all a solution,” he said.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said the unions should first build consensus among themselves as they were speaking in different tones. “The farmer unions should first build a consensus and sit down together to work on the real issues and demands. Presently, they are speaking in many voices,” he said.

PMO Officials Hold Security Review Meeting:

Senior security officials from the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) are meeting with police officials from Patiala, Gurdaspur, and Jalandhar to ensure comprehensive security arrangements ahead of PM’s rallies.

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PM Modi’s 2022 Security Lapse In Punjab:

On January 5, 2022, before the Punjab Assembly elections, PM Modi’s cavalcade had to face farmers’ ire while he was on his way to Ferozepur to lay the foundation stone of various projects worth Rs 42,750 crore. His convoy was stopped on a flyover for 20 minutes, and he had to return without attending the event. This is the first time the Prime Minister is visiting Punjab after that incident. As a result, the police are taking extensive precautions regarding security.