Slamming the BJP-led Haryana Government for trying to thwart farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, the Shiromani Akali Dal president
Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday termed the attempt as “Punjab's 26/11”.
“Today is Punjab's 26/11. We are witnessing the end of the right to democratic protest. @Akali_Dal condemns the Haryana govt & Centre for choosing to repress the peaceful farmer movement,” Sukhbir said in a tweet. He added in another tweet, “The battle for the rights of Punjab farmers cannot be throttled by using water cannons against them. Our resolve will only strengthen further.”
Also coming down heavily against the BJP Governments in Haryana as well as at the Centre for “outraging the Constitution on the Constitution Adoption Day itself in dealing with the peacefully and democratically protesting farmers”, he minced no words to say that the Narendra Modi Government “is treating Punjab as if it is not a part of the country. Are we not a part of India? Are farmers, traders and other common Punjabis not Indians?”
“I strongly condemn the repression and persecution launched against the farmers in Haryana today…The water cannon would not douse flames of democratic protest against injustice,” he said.
He said that the Centre was inflicting the “second economic blockade on Punjab out of sheer vendetta against state’s farmers, and that will hurt every Punjabi, be he a trader, a businessman, a farmer or an employee”.
Squarely blaming the BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana, Sukhbir said that the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had acted under instructions of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deal with the “annadata of the country exactly as one would deal with an enemy of the nation”.
Reiterating that SAD was “fully, whole heartedly and actively a part of the farmers struggle”, Sukhbir directed party’s every member to ensure the success of the farmers’ cause, while appealing to the SGPC and DSGMC to render all kinds of assistance to the agitating and beleaguered farmers.
“SAD has fully respected the wishes and sentiments of farmers’ organizations and refrained from any separate political activity on this issue. Instead, we will be led by them and will obey whatever orders they give us. We simply want justice for farmers because farmers are us,” he said while appealing to all political parties, organizations, and individuals to cut across political or ideological divisions to make common cause with the beleaguered farmers.
Bathinda MP and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal also condemned the Haryana Government for preventing farmers' entry to Haryana, saying it is a “murder of democracy.”
Hitting out at the Haryana Government, Harsimrat tweeted, “Murder of democracy on #ConstitutionDay! Farmers’ voices stifled, water cannons used on annadata! I appeal to PM @narendramodi ji to direct Hry CM @mlkhattar ji to let our farmers' march on peacefully to convey their issues to the Centre in Delhi. I stand in solidarity with them.”
AAP TO GO TO ANY EXTENT TO FIGHT FOR FARMERS’ RIGHTS: MANN
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday strongly condemned the atrocities being orchestrated on the farmers by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, by way of stopping them from holding a protest march to Delhi against the three controversial central agricultural laws. “Stopping the farmers’ protest march to Delhi by brute force is a highly reprehensible act on the part of the Union and Haryana Governments…AAP strongly opposes the move to bulldoze the stir,” said AAP”s Punjab unit president Bhagwant Mann.
Mann said: “Our constitution guarantees us the right to protest in a democratic manner. It is a matter of grave concern that the BJP Government has crossed all limits of constitutional propriety by denying the farmers their legitimate right to hold protests against draconian Central agriculture marketing laws.” Declaring that AAP would go to any extent to fight for the farmers’ rights, Mann said that the MSP regime was the statutory right of the farmers and the party would fight tooth and nail to ensure legal guarantee of MSP to the farmers on all crops.
SUPPORT AGITATING FARMERS BY ALL MEANS: JAKHAR TO PARTY RANK AND FILE
Reiterating the Congress party’s firm commitment to safeguard farmers’ interests, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday exhorted all party workers and leaders to support the agitating farmers by all means.
“By stopping the farmers on way for peaceful protest at New Delhi, the Haryana Government is scuttling the people’s constitutional rights on the Centre’s directions. It is ironic that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been boasting that farmers could sell their produce anywhere but BJP Government is not even allowing farmers to go to New Delhi for exercising their democratic right,” said Jakhar.
Jakhar said that the farmers were protesting peacefully from the last two months but now, by inhuman treatment, the BJP Government was trying to incite them. Punjab Congress chief lamented that today when the entire country was celebrating Constitution Day, the BJP Government was depriving the people of their constitutional right of peaceful protest.
“It would have been better if the Centre had allotted a site near Buraari to the farmers for protest and had called upon them for talks to resolve the issue,” said Jakhar while assuring the farmers that Congress party was with them in this hour of crisis.
