CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana Chief Ministers Amarinder Singh and Manohar Lal Khattar traded charges against each other in virtual world as farmers and police fought pitched battles on the ground.
“The attempts to stop them (farmers) are not good for democracy. Actions can lead to counter-reactions, especially from the thousands of youngsters who were among the agitating farmers,’’ Amarinder said, urging his Haryana counterpart to allow the farmers to pass through the state for making their voice heard in Delhi peacefully.
“The Haryana government’s actions were against the Constitutional spirit and against the farmers’ freedom of speech, and in bad taste. Either we have a Constitution in India or we don’t, and if we do have one then every person has the right and freedom to speech, thought and action,’’ he said.
The tyrannical use of brute force against peacefully protesting farmers is totally undemocratic and unconstitutional, he said. “The hands that feed the nation deserve to be held, not pushed aside.’’ In his response, Khattar advised Amarinder to avoid ‘cheap politics’.
“I have been trying to reach out to you for the last three days but sadly you decided to stay unreachable — is this how serious you are for farmer’s issues? You’re only tweeting and running away from talks, Why?” he tweeted. “Time for your Lies, Deception and Propaganda is over — let the people see your real face.
Please stop putting the lives of people in danger during the Corona pandemic. I urge you to not play with the lives of the people — at least avoid cheap politics during the time of pandemic.’’ Rejecting his Haryana counterpart’s charge of inciting farmers, Amarinder asked Khattar why farmers from Haryana were also marching to Delhi with other farmers.
Sukhbir, Hooda slam haryana
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal came down heavily on the BJP governments in Haryana as well as in the Centre for strong-arm tactics against farmers.
"I strongly condemn the repression and persecution launched against the farmers in Haryana today,” he said.
“Water cannon cannot douse flames of democratic protest against injustice.” Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also slammed the Khattar-led BJP government, saying water cannons, tear gas were used to muzzle voice of farmers.