Farmers Movement Archive

Summon me, not my officers: Capt Amarinder Singh to Punjab governor

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday took strong exception to the governor summoning the state’s police chief and top bureaucrat, instead of seeking a report directly from him, saying that law and order was his responsibility as he held the home portfolio. "While the propaganda of the BJP on collapse of law and order in the state was nothing more than a tactic to divert attention from farm laws and the farmers’ agitation, the governor should have taken up the matter directly with me, instead of the officers, as I am the custodian of home portfolio," said Amarinder. ‘BJP’s gameplan to undermine stir’Amarinder was reacting to the governor summoning Punjab chief secretary Vini Mahajan and DGP Dinkar Gupta to question them on law and order problem in the state amid sporadic incidents of damage to some mobile towers. Amarinder slammed the state BJP leadership for adding fuel to the fire, with their irresponsible statements, in the already surcharged atmosphere triggered by the farm laws. He termed it a vicious gameplan of the party to undermine the peaceful agitation of the farmers by terming a few minor incidents of damage to some mobile towers as a law and order problem. "These damaged towers can be, and are being repaired, but what about the lives of the farmers lost in the bitter cold at the Delhi borders, where they continue to fight for their rights amid total apathy from the BJP-led government at the Centre," asked the CM. He expressed shock over the fact that not a single BJP leader had expressed any concern over the deaths of protesting farmers, including some by suicide. "The lost lives cannot be recovered," he pointed out, asking the Punjab BJP leaders to stop politicizing a peaceful agitation with their illconceived comments. Instead of the slandering of farmers by using terms like `Naxalites’, `Khalistanis’ etc., the BJP should press their central leadership to heed the voice of the `Annadaatas’ and revoke the black farm laws that were threatening the livelihood and future of the farming community. "At a time when the very existence of our farmers is at stake, the BJP leaders are busy indulging in petty politics and also dragging the constitutional office of the governor into their unsavoury agenda," he added. “Terming as `unfortunate’ the fact that the governor had bowed to these antics, the CM observed that it had taken just a day for the former to react to the state BJP leadership’s complaint of purported law and order collapse in Punjab. This was in sharp contrast to the prolonged delay in sending to the President the State Amendment Bills, passed by all political parties (barring BJP) in the Vidhan Sabha, for assent," said an official statement.

The Times of India

2021-01-03

Chandigarh