Under severe criticism from opposition and farmers' unions over the violent clash between protesting farmers and cops in Hisar a day before, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda in New Delhi and apprized them about the prevailing situation in the state.
After the meeting at Amit Shah's residence, the Chief Minister while talking to the mediapersons said that the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has agreed that the protesting farmers should not have opposed the inauguration of a COVID hospital. He said that the main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the arrangements made to tackle the second wave of the COVID-19 and the ongoing farmers' agitation against three agriculture laws of the Centre.
Notably, a violent crash had broken between the farmers and the police in Hisar on Sunday after a group of farmers tried to march towards the venue of a programme in Hisar, where the Chief Minister had gone to inaugurate a COVID-19 hospital. Many, including several police personnel, got injured in the incident.
Khattar has been criticized by the opposition parties for holding an inauguration function amid the lockdown restrictions imposed in Haryana to stop the spread of COVID-19.
On the issue of farmers' agitation, the Chief Minister said, “I have apprised the central leadership of the Hisar incident and they have also agreed that the protesters should not have opposed such work.
The central leadership was also apprised about the talks held between both the parties and the Police on Sunday evening. The protestors have assured not to hold such kinds of protests in future, he said.
Replying to a question regarding the arrangement of COVID vaccination being made for the farmers sitting at protest site, Khattar said that on this subject required information has been shared with the Centre. We will move forward with patience and all things will be resolved soon, he added.
The Chief Minister further said he was informed at the meeting that the Centre is importing medicines for the "black fungus" or mucormycosis cases reported in COVID-19 patients, which will be distributed among the states.
Meanwhile, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni gave a call to farmers to be prepared to protest against the government in the future. He also made an appeal to the farmers to hold peaceful protests and not resort to violence which could damage the ongoing peaceful movement of farmers.
Hundreds of farmers from northern states of Punjab and Haryana have been camping at Haryana's borders with Delhi at Singhu and Tikri for over six months, demanding a repeal of the three agriculture reform laws enacted by the Centre in September last year.
Recently, the Chief Minister had urged the farmers to withdraw their stir on humanitarian grounds as the movement to and from dharna sites led to spread of infection in the villages of the state.
