Just hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Punjab, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) has announced statewide protests against the BJP-led Central Government at district headquarters across the state on Friday.

The KMM has also demanded the constitution of a commission to inquire into the killings of innocent Hindus and Sikhs during the militancy period in Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s.

KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, in a video message, said the decision to hold protests by burning effigies of the BJP government was taken at a meeting of the morcha in Ludhiana on Thursday.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting Chandigarh and Jalandhar today, where he is scheduled to inaugurate several infrastructure projects.

Pandher alleged that the railway projects being inaugurated by the Prime Minister were another step towards the privatisation of the Railways, and the KMM was opposed to it.

"The inauguration of the Jalandhar railway station today marks the beginning of this privatisation policy. Railway stations will eventually be handed over to big corporate houses. I would like to remind everyone that a majority of Railway employees are our Hindu brothers, and they stand to lose their jobs," he said.

Pandher said the protests were also against the proposed India-US trade pact, which would adversely affect the livelihoods of farmers and other sections.

"We also want to raise the issue of a legal guarantee for MSP on all crops, as was promised to us, besides a farm debt waiver," he said.

The farmer leader alleged that the BJP government had remained unconcerned about the deaths of over 750 farmers during the agitation at the Delhi borders and later at Shambhu and Khanauri.

He also urged the Prime Minister to address Punjab's concerns regarding the release of "Bandi Singhs" (Sikh prisoners who have remained incarcerated for years), Punjab's rightful representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and the state's riparian rights over its river waters.

Pandher also demanded that since the Prime Minister was visiting Punjab, he should address key issues concerning the state, including the release of "Bandi Singhs" (political prisoners incarcerated for several years), Punjab's rightful representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and the state's riparian rights over its river waters.

As per protocol, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will receive the Prime Minister on his arrival in Chandigarh. However, Mann will not accompany Modi during his scheduled functions in Chandigarh and Jalandhar. Instead, Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora have been deputed to attend the events.