The exchange between Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal about the farmers’ protest continued on Monday.
Chandigarh:
The bitter dispute between the top ministers of Punjab and Delhi reared its ugly head again on Monday night, with Amarinder Singh ridiculing Arvind Kejriwal for traveling to Singhu (on the Delhi-Haryana border) to meet with farmers protesting over the new agricultural laws of the center.
Singh, who on Friday called Kejriwal a “slimy guy who had a habit of lying,” dismissed the visit as “theatrical” and asked if “he doesn’t even know the difference between wheat and rice.” The Chief Minister of Punjab, who, in turn, has been accused of practicing “low-level politics”, also mocked Mr. Kejriwal for calling himself “sevadar (in the service of) “in the agitation of farmers.
“Kejriwal’s claim to be a sevadar it’s ridiculous. You (Mr. Kejriwal) didn’t even bother to call a Delhi Vidhan Sabha session on the subject (of a formal protest against the laws of the center). The farmers have seen through your sneaky little ways and your theater won’t help you, “he said.
Mr. Singh challenged Mr. Kejriwal to cite “an example of anything (he has) done for farmers in Delhi, referring to media reports last week saying that the AAP had notified one of agricultural laws “.
“If Kejriwal thought the farmers’ demands were valid, why didn’t he get amendment laws passed in Delhi, in the style of Punjab and other states, to negate the laws of the center?” I ask.
In October, Punjab, ruled by Congress, became the first state to pass bills to counter agricultural laws.
Accusing Mr. Kejriwal of not siding with the farmers at the beginning of his protests in September, Singh said that his counterpart was now staging a “drama” with one eye on the 2022 Punjab elections; the AAP is the largest opposition party in the state with 20 seats.
Singh’s furious attack comes hours after Arvind Kejriwal and some of his ministers visited Singhu, and reiterated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) support for “Bharat Bandh“.
Arvind Kejriwal met protesting farmers in Singhu on the Delhi-Haryana border on Monday.
“I have not come here as Chief Minister, but as sevadar. Farmers are in trouble … we should support them. AAP supports the ‘Bharat Bandh‘ and the party workers will participate, ”he said.
Last week, Kejriwal said Singh was angry with him because his government did not allow stadiums to be turned into open-air prisons, as requested by Delhi police, to detain thousands of protesting farmers.
Mr. Singh replied: “Kejriwal nu jhooth bolan di aadat hai… (Kejriwal has a habit of lying) “.
Thousands of farmers have been camped around Delhi for almost two weeks and are now demanding the immediate withdrawal of the farm laws. Five rounds of talks with the center have not made a breakthrough. A sixth is scheduled for Wednesday.
Tomorrow farmers and those who sympathize with their cause will celebrate a “Bharat Bandh“which has been endorsed by several major opposition parties, including Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
.
