Chandigarh, December 1
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over their shocking double standards on the farmers’ protests, saying the party had completely exposed itself by shamelessly implementing the draconian Farm Laws in the midst of the crisis while pretending to be standing with the farmers.
Even as AAP was claiming to be supporting the agitating farmers, the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi had brazenly executed the black laws through a gazette notification on November 23, 2020, the Chief Minister pointed out, adding that the party was clearly indulging in political games to further its electoral agenda.
Quite clearly, AAP had been working behind the farmers’ backs all these days, said the Chief Minister, expressing shock at the fact that even before the farmers had embarked on their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, the Kejriwal government had actually issued the notification which would spell the death-knell for the `annadattas’ in the national capital.
“Do they have no shame?” asked Captain Amarinder, slamming AAP for misleading the Kisan Unions by pretending to be supporting their cause while all this time, Kejriwal’s party was merely indulging in political theatrics.
“First they failed to pass any amendment laws in the Delhi Assembly to negate the central laws, as was done in Punjab. And now they have gone so far as to officially notify the agricultural legislations in Delhi, where AAP is in power. The party’s true intent and affiliation has been utterly exposed,” Captain Amarinder noted.
Responding to AAP’s criticism of his handling of the situation and for taking on Haryana CM ML Khattar, the Chief Minister remarked that while he was busy fighting for the rights of his farmers, Kejriwal was preparing to pull the rug under the feet of the farmers, who had been braving all kinds of atrocities by the Haryana government in their quest for justice. “Not once did AAP criticise the brutality inflicted on farmers,” he pointed out, adding that, instead, Arvind Kejriwal’s party had failed to even condemn the Akalis for their role in the in the legislation of the agricultural ordinances.
Observing that the AAP government in Delhi did not even accept the farmers’ demand for a protest site at Ram Lila ground or Jantar Mantar, Captain Amarinder asked why they had been toeing the BJP line in this whole affair.
Captain Amarinder also lambasted AAP for befooling the farmers with its ill-conceived suggestion that the Punjab government should pass a Bill in the state Assembly to make MSP a statutory right for farmers in the state. “It is obvious that AAP either does not understand the problems of farmers or simply does not care,” he said, asking that “even if the state has the money to buy all the foodgrain, which it simply does not, where would it sell the same?” In any case, he pointed out that MSP and other issues raised by the farmers did not relate to Punjab alone but farmers of the whole country. “Can’t you see that farmers from all agricultural states are marching to Delhi to fight the Farm Laws? Or is that you simply cannot see beyond your own petty political interests,” he asked AAP leaders.
