Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday urged his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar tio repeal farm laws, saying he will personally sendim laddoos if Khattar government does so. Singh also slammed Khattar for defending the assault on protesting farmers in Karnal and blaming the state for the farm agitation.
“Repeal the farm laws instead of blaming Punjab for the mess your party has put the farming sector in,” said Captain Amarinder.
Responding to Khattar and his deputy Dushant Chautala’s allegations that Punjab is instigating the farmers’ agitation, Captain Amarinder reminded them that the farmers, who were demonstrating against the BJP meeting in Karnal on Saturday, were from Haryana.
Saying that farmers had held protests across the state Punjab for two months before shifting to the Delhi borders, he said but no incidents of violence were reported at the time.
“Even recently, when sugarcane farmers staged protests, we negotiated with them and resolved the issue instead of using brute force to try and subjugate them,” he added.
Talking about Khattar’s remark that farmer leaders are sending Amarinder ladoos after the resolution of the sugarcane farmers’ protest, the Punjab CM said, “You repeal the farm laws and not just the farmers, but even I will share ladoos with you.”
Amarinder Singh also on Saturday slammed his Haryana counterpart for unleashing such a vicious assault on the peacefully protesting farmers, many of whom were injured in the lathi-charge.
Pointing out that this was not the first time that farmers had been subjected to such ruthlessness at the hands of the Haryana Police, Amarinder Singh said it was evident that the BJP-led M.L. Khattar government had once again deliberately used brute force in a desperate bid to end the farmers’ stir against the draconian farm laws.
“This is no way to treat out annadaatas,” said Amarinder Singh, warning that the BJP would have to bear the consequences of such horrendous actions, and of the apathy of its government at the Centre towards the farmers, in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab and other states.
Even earlier, in November 2020, Haryana Police had ferociously assaulted farmers to stop them from marching to the Delhi borders to join the agitation against the central laws, he pointed out.
