Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Amarinder Singh from Punjab is responsible for the protest.
Highlight
- “Bearers of the Punjab CM office” main protest: ML Khattar
- “Haryana farmers have stayed away from the protests,” he said.
- Mr Khattar said that the Haryana police had shown restraint during the protests
Chandigarh:
Haryana’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar attacked his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh on Saturday afternoon, blaming him for the thousands of farmers who marched to Delhi to protest against the center’s agricultural laws. He also claimed that “officials from the Office of the Chief Minister of Punjab” were leading the protest.
Khattar then thanked the Haryana police, who have been criticized for using lathi and tear gas charges to beat farmers, for showing restraint.
“Farmers in Punjab are protesting. Farmers in Haryana have stayed away. I thank the farmers in Haryana and the police for showing restraint. The Chief Minister of Punjab is fanning this protest. Officials from the Office of the Chief Minister of Punjab they are leading the protest, “Khattar told reporters.
Khattar, who clashed with Amarinder Singh on Twitter on Thursday, also repeated his claim that he had been trying to contact Singh since the farmers’ march began, but had received no response.
Farmers from various states have been marching in waves to Delhi to mount a joint protest against the farm laws, only to be confronted by a Haryana police force that had been instructed not to let them pass.
In addition to the lathi, water cannons and tear gas charges, the police also set up barricades wrapped in barbed wire to detain farmers and dug roads to serve as trenches.
On Thursday, Amarinder Singh took to Twitter to urge Manohar Lal Khattar to let the farmers pass peacefully.
“Let them pass ML Khattar ji, don’t push them over the edge. Let them bring their voice to Delhi peacefully,” he tweeted.
Singh had previously asked: “Why is ML Khattar’s government in Haryana preventing farmers from moving to Delhi? The tyrannical use of brute force against peacefully protesting farmers is totally undemocratic and unconstitutional.”
Mr. Khattar replied: “I have tried to contact you for the last 3 days, but sadly you decided to remain unreachable. Is it that serious is it for farmers’ problems? Are you just tweeting and running away from the conversations?”
Undeterred by the use of force to stop them, thousands of farmers arrived at the Delhi border on Friday morning, where they encountered more police barriers and tear gas.
They came with tractors carrying essential food and supplies, and have said they will not return until the center has repealed the laws.
They are protesting laws that the center says will reform the agricultural sector by eliminating middlemen and improving farmers’ profits by allowing them to sell products anywhere in the country.
Farmers and opposition parties argue that the laws will deprive farmers of a guaranteed minimum price for their produce and leave them at the mercy of companies.
.
