BJP Leaders Face Angry Farmers in Haryana

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders faced angry farmers protesting the three contentious farm laws in two incidents in Haryana on Friday.

Several BJP leaders, including former BJP minister Manish Grover, BJP district chief Ajay Bansal, party leader Satish Nanda and Rohtak mayor Man Mohan Goyal, who went to a temple in Kaloi village, Rohtak, to watch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s live telecast from Kedarnath Temple, were surrounded by farmers for almost six hours angry over ‘objectionable language’ used against them.

The farmers, who had locked the main entrance gate of the Shiva temple, gave half-an-hour to Grover to apologise for his comment. The protest ended after Grover apologised with “folded hands”, NDTV reported.

NDTV journalist Mohammad Ghazali tweeted: “So former BJP minister and ex Rohtak MLA Manish Grover apologized (sic) with folded hands and now the protest has ended. The villagers were protesting the prsence (sic) of BJP leaders in the temple at a time when farmers have given a call to boycott BJP and JJP leaders.” @ndtv

Jaan bachi to lakho paye.... https://t.co/PMDQiaTDjr

— Mohammad Ghazali (@ghazalimohammad) November 5, 2021

The police, unable to break the tight cordon formed by the farmers, requested them to go back home. Subsequently, more police force was rushed in from other districts. Two protesters were arrested and the Delhi-Hisar National Highway was shut.

Soon after the protest ended, Grover denied having apologised. “Some people from a khap came to us and asked me to go to the balcony and wave at everyone... We have not apologised to anyone. I will come whenever I want to this temple,” Grover said, according to NDTV.

In the second incident, waving black flags and chanting slogans against BJP Rajya Sabha member Ram Chander Jangra, who was inaugurating a community centre in Narnaund, Hisar, hundreds of farmers gathered at the venue. Jangra called the protesting farmers “jobless alcoholics from villages”.

In the ensuing clash with the police, which had been deployed to prevent them from reaching the venue, they allegedly broke the windshield of Jangra’s car. One farmer identified as Kuldeep Singh, of Satrod Khurd village, Hisar, sustained injuries and is said to be critical, the Hindustan Times reported. Jangra had faced a similar protest while attending a Diwali programme in Rohtak on Thursday.

“Bad elements have been protesting the government and the recent killing of an innocent Nihang at Singhu border has exposed them. It is not the farmers but only bad elements that are protesting. I have been frequently visiting Delhi and most of the tents at protest sites are empty and this issue will be resolved soon,” Jangra was heard saying in a purported audio clip that went viral.

The farmers also protested outside the Narnaund police station and blocked the Hisar-Rohtak national highway near the Ramayana toll plaza while chanting slogans against Jangra, the state government and the administration.

(This is a developing story.)