The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) (Ugrahan) -- one of the largest peasants' unions leading the ongoing farmers' protest in and around national capital Delhi -- has now been accused of accepting foreign funds without proper clearances, reported NDTV.
The report cited Sukhdev Kokri Kalan, the general secretary of the BKU, who said that officials of the Punjab and Singh bank have issued a warning against the group and asked to get "mandatory registration".
The BKU (Ugrahan) leader reportedly said that the group had received about Rs 8-9 lakhs over the last two months, sent mostly by diaspora Punjabis living abroad. However, the bank has now cited the amount and tightened its vigilance on the foreign donations being received in lieu of the farmers' protest, according to the report.
"NRIs who have been sending us funds are those who are Punjab and are abroad. They're just helping. What's the problem with that? It is their protest too. We're not taking help from Arthiyas," NDTV quoted Joginder Ugraha, the chief of BKU (Ugrahan), as saying.
However, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is vieweing the incident as "vendetta politics" instigated by the central government, whereby the premise of tax laws and vigilance on foreign donations is allegedly being used as a "ruse" to break up the movement led by agitating farmers over the contentious farm laws passed by the Centre.
Earlier this week, reports stated that the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government had sent notices of Rs 50 lakh each to six farmers' leaders in the Sambhal district for protesting against the new farm laws. The notices asked the leaders to submit the bond amount to prevent them from "inciting" farmers from joining the protests.
Earlier in the month, six other protesters were also issued notices of Rs 5 lakh each under Section 111 of the CrPC, according to reports.
Farmers from different parts of the country, including Haryana and Punjab, have been camping at various border points of Delhi for two weeks to demand a repeal of three recent farm laws of the Centre
In the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the three ordinances related to three crucial agricultural Bills were introduced in the Parliament and after approval of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the three laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, came into force in September.
Farmers' organisations, which have been camping at the borders of Delhi since November 26, have been demanding withdrawal of all three farm laws while the government has proposed amendments involving issues related to the interests of farmers.
