Farmers Movement Archive

Centre should hold talks with farmers immediately, unconditionally: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asked the Centre to immediately and unconditionally hold talks with the farmers who continued to protest against the new agriculture laws staying put at the Singhu and Tikri border points of the national capital for the fourth consecutive day.The Aam Aadmi Party has supported the farmers’ protest and its national convenor Kejriwal asked the Centre to immediately meet the farmers.“The central government should talk to farmers immediately (and) unconditionally,” he said in a tweet.AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that his party demands that Home Minister Amit Shah should first resolve the issues of the farmers by listening to them.“The Aam Aadmi Party under the leadership of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is standing beside the farmers. We welcome the farmers to Delhi, we will fight shoulder to shoulder with them,” he said.At a press conference on Sunday, senior AAP leader and chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said his party believes that Shah has shown “utter irresponsibility” by leaving the national capital to campaign for Hyderabad municipal elections when lakhs of farmers were waiting at the Delhi border to talk to him.Bhardwaj said on one hand, Amit Shah was telling the farmers that coronavirus cases might increase due to their protest and on the other, he was claiming that in his Hyderabad roadshow there was massive public participation which shows “no social distancing was maintained”.“The Aam Aadmi Party believes that this is the utter hypocrisy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and we condemn such irresponsible act. The AAP believes that such a home minister is very dangerous for India,” he said.“In this serious situation, the home minister of our country is not in Delhi but in Hyderabad and he is holding a press conference regarding the issues related to Hyderabad municipality. He is taking out massive roadshows,” Bhardwaj said.At another press conference, party MLA and spokesperson Atishi alleged that the Centre was “intolerant” towards thousands of farmers sitting at the border of Delhi.“Posing conditions for the farmers, the government is saying that it will not talk to the farmers unless the farmers concede to its demands of moving to a particular place to hold a dialogue,” she said.AAP leader Raghav Chadha hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over the farm laws, holding him “equally responsible for crushing” the farmer protests.“There is a nexus and friendship between PM Narendra Modi and Captain Amarinder Singh. Together they are duping and deceiving the farmers,” Chadha claimed.The Congress’ 2019 election manifesto had the proposal of the abolition of APMC markets and also these three “black laws” brought by the Modi government.“Amarinder Singh is acting on behalf of the BJP and has become the Chief Minister of BJP. He is instructing the farmers of Punjab to accept the terms and conditions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Chadha alleged. — PTI

The Tribune

2020-11-29

New Delhi