Farmers Movement Archive

Punjab chief minister meets Amit Shah, condemns violence in Lakhimpur Kheri

Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday took up with Union home minister Amit Shah the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh in which eight persons, including four farmers, were killed during a protest on Sunday. Channi, who called on Shah at the latter’s residence in Delhi in the evening, conveyed his deep anguish over the tragic incident and the manner in which Congress leaders going to meet the victims’ families were stopped or arrested. “Met Home Minister @AmitShah & told him that the system of arresting our leaders should stop & the barbaric killings in UP (Lakhimpur Kheri) will not be tolerated,” the chief minister tweeted. He also sought the Union home minister’s personal intervention to resolve the farmers’ imbroglio, requesting him to repeal the farm laws that have led to protests. This was Channi’s first meeting with Shah after taking over the reins of the state on September 20 from Capt Amarinder Singh, who had to resign following a bitter tussle with Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and some other detractors. The new CM also drew the home minister’s attention towards the illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons from across the border into the state, urging him to seal the border. This initiative would help Punjab break the supply chain of drugs, he added. He also raised the demand for reopening of Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, urging the home minister to take an early decision in this regard to enable devotees to pay obeisance at the sacred place. Shah assured the chief minister that they will soon take a decision to open the corridor after detailed deliberations, according to an official release. Punjab Congress working president Kuljit Singh Nagra travelled with the chief minister to Delhi. Equates violence to Jallianwala Bagh tragedy Before leaving for Delhi to meet Shah, Channi, along with some ministers and legislators, staged a protest at Gandhi Smarak Bhawan in Chandigarh, where he said the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri reminded him of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. Alleging that the killing of the farmers was intentional, the chief minister asked the BJP to respect the democratic ethics and values, rather than perpetrating the rule of “danda raj (coercion)” to stifle people’s voice. “It should not force the country’s youth to draw inspiration from martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Udham Singh for restoring democracy in the country,” he said. He also slammed the UP government for arresting Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who wanted to meet the victims’ ‘families at Lakhimpur Kheri. Cabinet ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Rana Gurjit Singh, Pargat Singh, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa were among those present. Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu was absent.

Hindustan Times

06-10-2021

Chandigarh