Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers dying, says Capt Amarinder, calls all-party meet on stir

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday convened an all-party meeting on February 2 to discuss the situation arising out of the violence in Delhi on Republic Day and evolve a consensus on the way forward on the ongoing agitation against the farm laws. “Our farmers have been dying on the Delhi borders for more than two months now. They are being beaten up by police and assaulted by goons,” said Amarinder while underlining the need for all parties to unite to evolve a cohesive strategy on this issue. Earlier, in an interview to TOI, he said it is sad that post January 26, “a vilification campaign” has been launched on the social media by branding protesters as ‘Khalistanis’. “BJP cannot wash its hands of its role in instigating this vilification campaign, as its leaders, since the very beginning of the agitation, have been repeatedly and persistently calling farmers all kinds of names — Khalistanis, Urban Naxalites, hooligans and what not — to discredit the movement. Rajnath Singh had called for a stop to this name calling. But it’s back with a vengeance,” he said, adding that no BJP leader has criticised these attacks. “An unfortunate and malicious campaign has been started by vested interests to drive a communal wedge by vilifying an entire community, whose sacrifices for the country and nationalism are unparalleled and undoubtable. This must stop immediately or it would have very dangerous consequences not only for Punjab but also India,” Amarinder said. “Punjab has seen a lot of bloodshed and cannot afford to see any more of it. Any communal unrest in Punjab can have disastrous consequences, as we have a hostile Pakistan sitting on our borders, waiting to exploit any opportunity,” the CM said. Amarinder reiterated that the morale of Army personnel from Punjab, who constitute 20% of the armed forces, could be impacted by the ongoing events. “Just imagine the mental state of a soldier sitting on the front at Dras or Siachen, knowing well that his aged father or younger brother/sister is sitting under the open skies on Delhi borders with uncertainty on the course that this agitation would take and the constant threat of police action.” “Our farmers have been dying on the Delhi borders for more than two months now. They are being beaten up by police and assaulted by goons,” said Punjab CM Amarinder Singh while underlining the need for all parties to unite to evolve a cohesive strategy on this issue.

The Times of India

2021-02-01

India