Amarinder Singh accused ML Khattar of acting “dishonestly”.
New Delhi:
Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday lashed out at his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar for cracking down on farmers protesting the center’s new agricultural laws, saying he won’t even answer the latter’s phone calls now. because of the way he has acted.
“You don’t know what to say, so you are saying all this. Punjab does not detain its farmers because they have the right to protest. Why is it detaining them? Why is it using water cannons and throwing tear gas at them?” When we don’t stop them and Delhi won’t stop them, who are you to stop them? I don’t like this dishonest behavior. Now you can call me 10 times, I will not take your call, “he told NDTV.
The Chief Minister was responding to Khattar’s accusations that Captain Singh was responsible for the thousands of angry farmers who marched to Delhi and some threw stones and overturned barricades in response to a harsh police crackdown in Haryana.
Mr. Khattar, whose government and police have been criticized for brutal attempts to push back what began as a peaceful protest, also claimed that no farmers in Haryana were or are involved in the “Dilli Chalo” movement, and that the state police he had shown restraint. in handling the situation.
“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 responsible and fuels this protest. Officials from the Chief Minister’s Office from Punjab are leading the protest, “Khattar told reporters.
Thousands of farmers from various states began marching toward the national capital on Wednesday. Footage from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh showed large convoys of tractors and trailers, packed with food, fuel and essential supplies, pushing their way through blockades and police barriers.
Amarinder Singh addressed concerns about the violation of coronavirus safety rules, saying: “Regardless of the virus, farmers have gone to Delhi because this is beyond everything. This is much bigger. The farmer is thinking about how he will guarantee food. for your children. For God’s sake, let’s think about them. Think about what they’ll care about. What’s the harm in bringing some kind of clarity to this?
He also said that it was important to calm the concerns of farmers from a national security point of view. “I am the prime minister of a border state. I know what Pakistan is doing,” he said.
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