Chandigarh : Punjab Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday slammed the Central and Haryana governments for their handling of the ongoing farmers' protest, drawing parallels with the recent French farmers' protest in Paris. Bajwa asserted that the police from Delhi and Haryana had no right to impede the farmers' movement
Addressing the media, Bajwa highlighted the economic repercussions of the government's barricading of Punjab, emphasizing that businesses suffered during this period. "The manner in which Punjab was barricaded by the Central Government as well as Haryana Government. Business suffered. At this time, the state government and the CM himself should have gone to the centre with the demands of the farmers...This is a border state, it is essential to maintain peace in a state with an international border. But the CM did not shoulder his responsibility," Bajwa said while speaking to news agency.
Drawing a comparison with the French President meeting protesting farmers in Paris, Bajwa called for PM Modi to visit the borders of Punjab and engage with the agitating farmers.
"The farmers have said that they will march to Delhi again. First of all, Haryana and Delhi have no right to stop the farmers...In Paris, a large number of French farmers protested on tractors and the French President himself met them. PM Modi can do the same," he said.
The opposition leader raised serious allegations against the Haryana Police and levelled allegations against them for causing harm to the agitated farmers.
"Haryana Police put up barricades, came within Punjab's area and affected around 300 people. One young man was killed, 8-9 farmers have died but what is our Police doing?," Bajwa said.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher, on Monday asserted that the decision to March towards Delhi has not changed.
The farmer leader said that the groups of farmes will remain at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders till the government opens the roads to Delhi. "The farmers from Punjab and Haryana will remain here (Khanauri and Shambhu border), we will not move forward without our tractors and trolleys. We have not changed our decision to march towards Delhi, we will wait until the government reopens the roads," Pandher said while speaking to news agency on Monday.
Giving a call to march to Delhi, the farmers have been camping at multiple points in areas bordering the national capital since February 13 along with their tractors, mini-vans, and pickup trucks, demanding, among others, a law guaranteeing MSP (minimum support price) and withdrawal of police cases against farmers during earlier protests.