Agricultural agents have been supporting protesting farmers, Arvind Kejriwal said.
New Delhi:
Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal harshly criticized the central government for targeting Punjab’s agricultural agent, known as arhtiyas, through raids and income tax notices. He claimed that the government was taking coercive measures to weaken the farmers’ protest.
Various arhtiyas Punjab officials have reportedly received income tax notices and many have been raided in short notices by the department in recent days. TheseFarm commissioners or agents have reportedly been backing the ongoing farmer agitation against three new core farm laws.
“The center is conducting income tax raids against Punjab businessmen who have been supporting the farmers’ struggle. Harassing businessmen in this way is wrong,” Kejriwal tweeted today, along with a screenshot of a newspaper clip of the story.
“This is being done to weaken the peasant movement. Today, the entire nation with the peasants. Who will the central government attack?” I ask.
The Delhi Chief Minister’s criticism of the Center comes a day after his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh said these raids were an obvious pressure tactic to curb the democratic right and freedom of agricultural agents. Said up to 14 arhtiyas across Punjab they had received notices from the IT department and were being attacked within four days of receiving the notices.
“What is this but a clear case of vendetta policy on the part of the Center, which is hell-bent on demolishing the farmers’ protest by hook or by crook?” Chief Minister Singh asked on Saturday in a statement issued by his office.
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