BKU outfit remains firm on Patiala protest

Punjab CM had urged them to call off stir on poor COVID management.

Dismissing Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s appeal to not go ahead with their protest, which could turn into a super-spreader of COVID-19, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), one of the largest farmer’s unions in Punjab, on Monday said it would go ahead with its three-day protest in Patiala. Sukhdev Singh, general secretary of BKU(U), told The Hindu the proposed protest against the ruling Congress government in Punjab for its alleged failure to control and manage the situation arising out of COVID-19 will be held as planned from May 28 with all precautions in place. “People across the State are suffering on account of government’s failure on several fronts. Health department has shortage of staff, which is one of the reasons that optimum use of ventilators and other equipment in government hospitals were not being made. There are reports of shortage of beds in hospitals, medicines and oxygen from several places. The task of mobilising budget and providing adequate infrastructure for mass expansion should be done on a war footing. All large private hospitals should be brought under government control, besides the rates of treatment of Corona patients in small private hospitals should be capped. We want State government to resolve all the issues,” he said.