Farmers Movement Archive

Facing SKM attack, combative Deep Sidhu threatens to spill farmer leaders’ ‘secrets’

JALANDHAR: Facing all-out attack from Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders who called for his social boycott, Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu hit back saying if he started revealing their secrets they won’t find place to hide, but he was holding himself back as farmers’ protest needed to attain victory. He said people followed calls given by the Morcha leaders to enter Delhi and asked how could “he alone take lakhs of farmers there”. In a Facebook live around 2am on Thursday, Sidhu appeared combatant and claimed that “had the farmers leaders taken a stand to celebrate the people who reached Red Fort and put up Sikh and farmers flags they would have been able to put more pressure on the government”. “They shamelessly blamed me. People had come with a resolve after you had given the decision (for tractor parade inside Delhi). People followed your words. How lakhs could be in my control. If I could provoke lakhs then where do you stand? Earlier you have been saying Deep Sidhu has no following and no contribution, then claim I could take lakhs of people there,” he asked SKM leadership. “Will RSS or BJP stooge would fix Nishan Sahib there or somebody who wishes to contest election? You are in fact calling traitors all those who reached there. It brings out your bad intention. Either you don’t understand or don’t want to understand. Tomorrow no one would follow emotions as you give certificates of being traitors. In place of standing behind people (who reached Red Fort), you have started targeting just one person. You are full with ego and are not listening to anybody. This is style of the government (not listening to anybody),” he said. “We woke up the government on November 26 when we broke the barricades, and now also we have woken up the government on January 26, but you don’t understand,” he argued while adding that he did not damage the Morcha. He also claimed that he was still near Singhu. About the incident of being chased by some people, he claimed that persons of a particular farm union targeted him and he was asked by the people there to leave and he thought it better to avoid any confrontation. That video is being shared without knowing the context, he added. He claimed there was no violence and everything was peaceful at Red Fort even as thousands were already there when he reached. “People at Red Fort in fact greeted me and I also delivered a short address from a tractor. It was the Sangat which went inside the Red Fort. RSS agents were outside,” he said taking a dig at farmers unions leaders. He said that he would bring out the truth with logic on everything. He said that after all the hate spread against him, government would follow him for getting killed. Addressed from tractor at Red Fort On Thursday afternoon, Deep Sidhu posted a 4.31-minute-long video in which he could be seen addressing people from a tractor at Red Fort with people packed around him. In the video, he can be heard saying that leaders of the agitation should come there and give the next direction. “People have created history. It is a great symbol that you are on tractor here to demand your rights. You have done something which could not have been imagined,” he says, adding that all would follow the decision of the leaders and all would remain united.

The Times of India

2021-01-29

Ludhiana