Farmers Movement Archive

Spare Punjab, move protests to Delhi: Amarinder to farmers

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday urged farmers’ unions not to hold protests across Punjab against the farm reform laws as the demonstrations were not in the “economic interest of the State” and advised the protesters to shift their sit-in venues to Delhi’s borders or in Haryana. ‘In solidarity’ He said the Punjab government and its people had already expressed solidarity with the farmers against the farm laws and argued that the ongoing protests at 113 places in the State were considerably hampering its economic development. “I want to tell farmer brothers that it is your Punjab, your villages, your people. We should not disturb our Punjab. You do whatever you want to do at Delhi (borders), put pressure on them [the Centre] and make them agree,” said Captain Amarinder. He accused the Shiromani Akali Dal of “double crossing” the farmers on the issue of the farm laws. The Chief Minister said the laws were drafted with the consent of the Akali Dal with its MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal as the Union Minister. He alleged that even former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had argued in favour of these laws but the party changed its tune completely when the move backfired. He said the Congress was the only party that protested against the contentious laws from day one. “The Congress government called an all-party meeting and then held consultations with the farm unions. Later, the government convened a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and passed Bills aimed at countering these farm laws,” he said while addressing a gathering at an event to lay the foundation stone of PAU - College of Agriculture at Ballowal Saunkhri in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district. The Chief Minister said the Constitution has been amended 127 times since 1950. “So why not one more time to repeal the farm laws for providing succour to the farmers who have been sitting at the Singhu and Tikri borders,” he asked. In Hoshiarpur, Capt. Amarinder appealed to the representatives of various farmers’ unions to spare Punjab from their protests and mount pressure on the Centre from the Delhi borders or Haryana instead. Reacting to Captain Amarinder’s statement, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij accused him of instigating the farmers. “It is a very irresponsible statement of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to tell farmers that do whatever you want in Haryana or at Delhi borders but do not do it in Punjab,” Mr. Vij said in a tweet. “This proves that Amarinder Singh has done the work of instigating farmers,” he added. (With inputs from PTI) The Constitution has been amended 127 times since 1950. So why not one more time to repeal the farm laws...

The Hindu

2021-09-14

CHANDIGARH