Farmers Movement Archive

Criminals have taken over stir against farm laws, says BJP

NEW DELHI: Criminals have taken over the agitation against the new farms laws and the agitators have lost the moral right to call themselves farmers, BJP said on Friday following the murder of a Taran Taran Dalit resident, allegedly by Nihangs who were part of the protests at the Singhu border. BJP said agitators should withdraw the protests unconditionally and hold talks with the government immediately. “The agitators lost every moral right to call themselves farmers. It’s time saner elements, if any, among them apologise to the nation and withdraw and engage with the government unconditionally,” BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh tweeted. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia questioned, “How can someone who brutally kills our loved ones be called a farmer? How can a farmer insult the tricolour? How can you call someone a farmer who rapes our sisters?” He was referring to the incident at Red Fort on Independence Day and the rape of a volunteer from West Bengal, who later died. Party’s general secretary and in-charge for Punjab, Tarun Chugh, said the "gruesome murder" of an innocent person at the Singhu border clearly established that criminal elements have overtaken the farm agitation. “Any kind of crime on the place of protest by farmers is an alarming signal and the brutal murder indicated that all is not well with the intent of the agitation,” Chug said and added, “Farmer leaders should own up the responsibility of criminal activities on the scene of protest and should make sure that criminals surrender themselves.” BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya said, “Rape, murder, violence and anarchy... All this has happened in the name of the peasant movement.” “Anarchists behind these protests in the name of farmers need to be exposed,” Malviya said.

The Times of India

2021-10-16

Delhi