Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers protesting outside national capital are not terrorists: Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena continued its attack on the central government over protesting farmers and said that Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi used farmers to “pave the way” to come into power and now he must “support” them. Sena leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that farmers protesting outside the national capital are not terrorists and the manner in which the force is being used against them, is uncalled for.Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting at Delhi’s borders for five days against the new farm laws. The farmers fear that the new laws will allow the corporates to control prices and take away their minimum guaranteed earnings.Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut said that the farmers are protesting in a peaceful manner and it is an example for the world. “If such force would have been used along Line of Actual Control (LAC) then Chinese would not have entered the Indian territory… PM Modi should support the farmers; merely holding talks with them will not help. When you were paving the way to come in to [power] in Delhi, that time your slogans said that injustice against farmers will not be tolerated. Today, what is happening on the Delhi border in Haryana? Farmers are not terrorists,” Raut said.In the Sena mouthpiece Saamana, the party said that using water cannons on protesting farmers when the cold wave is sweeping parts of north India was “cruel”. The editorial also said that the BJP is raking up the Khalistan issue to start their “politics” in Punjab.“Our farmers are being treated as terrorists and are attacked on Delhi borders while terrorists are killing our soldiers on the border in Kashmir. BJP wants to vitiate the atmosphere and it also invites anarchy. Khalistan is a closed chapter for which Indira Gandhi and General Arunkumar Vaidya laid down their lives. BJP is not unnecessarily raking up the Khalistan issue, but it wants to spark the issue and start its politics in Punjab,” the editorial in Saamana said.The editorial published on Monday said that giant statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat will be shedding tears at the treatment meted out against the farmers. It further added BJP is using all tools to destabilise the government of the opponents in all non-BJP ruled states including Maharashtra but the same “determination” is not seen while battling the enemies of the country.Commenting on the use of Central agencies by BJP-government against political rivals in the country, Sena said, “ED (Enforcement Directorate) and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) should be given an opportunity to prove their valour. Every time bullets don’t work. At Delhi’s border, our farmers are called terrorists, while terrorists are entering the Kashmir border and Ladakh. At such times, ED and CBI should be sent to the borders. There is no other option...”

Hindustan Times

30-11-2020

Mumbai