Farmers Movement Archive

‘Will leave politics if there’s trouble on MSP’: Haryana CM Khattar asks Punjab’s Amarinder Singh to ‘stop inciting farmers’

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday urged his counterpart in Punjab to not “play with the lives of the people” and “avoid cheap politics during the time of pandemic” as thousands of farmers marched to Delhi to protest against recent agricultural reforms.Police used water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers headed to Delhi as they tried to break through barricades in Ambala. The farmers were seen resisting the police, trying to break and drag the barricades at the Sadopur border following which police had to use water cannons and tear gas shells to control the crowd.“Time for your Lies, Deception and Propaganda is over - let the people see your real face. Please stop putting the lives of people in danger during the Corona pandemic. I urge you to not play with the lives of the people - atleast avoid cheap politics during the time of pandemic,” Khattar said in a series of tweets.Also Read: Amarinder slams Khattar for using brute force against farmers marching towards Delhi“I’ve been trying to reach out to you for the last 3 days but sadly you decided to stay unreachable - is this how serious you are for farmer’s issues? You’re only tweeting and running away from talks, Why?” he asked. “@capt_amarinder ji, I’ve said it earlier and I’m saying it again, I’ll leave politics if there’ll be any trouble on the MSP - therefore, please stop inciting innocent farmers,” he added.Before this, Amarinder Singh had condemned the Haryana government’s “forcible” attempts to stop farmers from marching to Delhi. Singh questioned the need to stop them from proceeding, according to an official release by his office, and urged the Khattar government to allow the farmers to pass through the national highway. He also said that the constitutional right of farmers to protest was being suppressed.Watch: Police use water cannon, tear gas on agitating farmers near Delhi-Haryana border Singh also condemned the use of “brute” force by Haryana police, which had used water cannons and tear gas in a bid to stop the farmers from Punjab from marching through the state and had not allowed farmers from Haryana to move out of their villages in many places.“Why is ML Khattar government in Haryana stopping the farmers from moving to Delhi? The tyrannical use of brute force against peacefully protesting farmers is totally undemocratic and unconstitutional,” he said, asserting that “the hands that feed the nation deserve to be held, not pushed aside.” “For nearly 2 months farmers have been protesting peacefully in Punjab without any problem. Why is the Haryana government provoking them by resorting to force? Don’t the farmers have the right to pass peacefully through a public highway?” he asked.Singh urged the BJP central leadership to direct their state governments not to indulge in such “strong-arm” tactics against the farmers. “Let the farmers be heard by the central government, let their concerns be addressed,” he said, calling for peaceful resolution of the farmers’ concerns in the national interest.Also Read: Delhi Metro resumes services on Delhi to NCR routes, reverse route yet to reopenFarmers have given a call for “Delhi Chalo” protest march, to coincide with Constitution Day, against new farm laws. While the government says the three laws will do away with middlemen, enabling farmers to sell their produce in the commercial markets, protestors fear that this could lead to the government not buying produce at guaranteed prices, thereby disrupting their timely payments. They are protesting against the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.Heavy security has been deployed at Rohtak-Jhajjar border, Singhu border (Delhi-Haryana border), Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Jammu highway near Karna Lake in Karnal.(With agency inputs)

Hindustan Times

26-11-2020

India