Condemning today’s violence by some miscreants at the Singhu border, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday urged the Centre to conduct a thorough probe to identify the “so-called locals” who had purportedly broken through tight security cordons to attack farmers and their property.
“Were they really locals?” asked the Chief Minister, seeking a proper investigation to identify the troublemakers and ascertain where they came from.
“I can’t believe that the local people could have turned against the farmers like this. Miscreants might have been brought from other places by vested interests to foment trouble,” he said, adding that locals calling the farmers traitors was not something he could believe to be true.
Calling for an immediate end to the vilification campaign launched against farmers in the wake of the Red Fort violence, the Chief Minister warned that maligning the farmers in this manner could cause the morale of the armed forces, 20 percent of which is from Punjab, to go down.
Spreading false information against the farmers can create divisions, which can cause problems for Punjab, he further warned, urging the media to handle the situation properly and sensitively.
“What is happening and what happened at Singhu today is what Pakistan wants,” said Capt Amarinder, pointing out that he had been warning for a long time that Pakistan will try to exploit the unrest over the farm laws to disturb Punjab’s peace.
“That us what I had discussed with the Union Home Minister also during my meeting, over which a lot of noise was raised,” he said, adding that he had told the HM that drones were coming from Pakistan with weapons, drugs etc, and while many had been caught in Punjab, some would have passed through.
Central agencies should investigate into possible Pakistan role in the recent disturbances and violence during the farmers’ agitation, he said.
The Chief Minister advised the farmers as well the Central Government to continue engaging in dialogue to resolve the problem. “I could have resolved the issue by now,” he said, adding that the resolution of the issue needed both sides to talk as friends and not enemies. There needs to be a genuine settlement, he added. Pointing out that Punjab had seen bad times during its terrorism days, any further disturbance would not be desirable, said the Chief Minister.
He also came down heavily against those calling the farmers names. People have different ideologies but you can’t brand them Leftists, Maoists, Naxals, and Khalistanis in this manner, he quipped.
Reacting to allegations that he (Captain Amarinder) was behind the farmers’ agitation, the Chief Minister made it clear that Punjab’s farmers might have led the agitation initially, but the movement had now spread across the country.
Asserting that his sympathies, and those of his Government and party were with the farmers, which is why they had passed their own Bills in the State, the Chief Minister said that every farmers in the country has his or her heart at Delhi’s borders at present.
