Farmers Movement Archive

Protest against farm laws in Delhi, why cause losses to Punjab: Amarinder to farmers

PATIALA: With the state smarting under the double whammy of the pandemic and the extended blockades by agitating farmers, chief minister Amarinder Singh once again appealed on Sunday to farmers to stage protest in Delhi and not in Punjab against the Centre’s new farm laws. He said the coal stock was limited in the private plants and the state may face a power crisis within two to more days. Even as the farmer unions collectively ended their rail-roko agitation, BKU Ekta Ugrahan blocked railway tracks near the private thermal power plants in Rajpura and Mansa and demanded that only government plants should operate. “Our fight is with the central government who had enacted these farm laws. We have supported the farmers. If you (farmers) want to protest, then protest in Delhi. The road or rail blockade cause losses to Punjab. Only one day’s coal stocks and 10% urea are available with the state. The option to buy power from the national grid does not exist since the state has no money. We need 8 lakh MT of DAP but only 2 lakh MT is available,” CM said, while replying to a query after laying the foundation stone of the Sports University in Patiala on Monday. He said his ministers were in talks with farmer unions to resolve the problem. There were 11 non-BJP state governments in country and the Congress was in power in four of these states. All Congress governments would move similar resolutions against the central rules, he said, expressing the hope that other non-BJP governments, like that of West Bengal, would also follow suit. On the enforcement directorate (ED) summoning his son Raninder Singh, Capt Amarinder said it was not the first time the agency had issued summons to his family. Ridiculing the Akali allegations of him being hand in glove with the central government on the farm laws issue, he said, “Everyone knows who is colluding with whom.” “It is the Akalis who are mixed up with the BJP. They quit NDA under pressure but are still working together,” he said, adding that Harsimrat Badal was clearly involved in the introduction of the anti-farmer ordinances and was a cabinet minister at the time these were brought in by the Union government.

The Times of India

2020-10-26

Ludhiana