New Delhi:
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has flagged the irony of brutality of Haryana Police’s action against peacefully protesting farmers on Constitution Day, November 26.
“It is a sad irony that on Constitution Day, 2020, the constitutional right of farmers (to protest peacefully) is being oppressed in this manner. Let them pass ML Khattar ji, don’t push them to the brink. Let them take their voice to Delhi peacefully,” Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted.
He added that the use of “brute force” was “totally undemocratic and unconstitutional”.
“The hands that feed the nation deserve to be held, not pushed aside,” read another tweet by Mr Singh, who also tagged the BJP urging it to tell governments of states where it is in power – Haryana and Uttar Pradesh – “not to indulge in such strong-arm tactics against the farmers”.
For nearly 2 months farmers have been protesting peacefully in Punjab without any problem. Why is Haryana govt provoking them by resorting to force? Don’t the farmers have the right to pass peacefully through a public highway? @mlkhattarpic.twitter.com/NWyFwqOXEu
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 26, 2020
Yogendra Yadav, whose Swaraj India is a part of the nationwide protest by 500-odd farmers’ organisations against the recently enacted farm laws, told NDTV, “Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala claims to be a farmers’ representative. The least he can do is step down and apologise to the farmers.”
Mr Yadav made the remarks while pointing out that the police action in BJP-ruled states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had only emboldened more farmers to join in.
“Three lakh farmers are marching… the number show the extent of anger (against the laws),” said activist Yogendra Yadav, who was detained at Gurgaon along with around 50 farmers as they attempted to cross into Delhi.
“They are accusing me of disrupting peace and violating Covid safety rules. They are arresting me…It is not a crime to be a farmer. We will continue our agitation,” Mr Yadav told reporters as he was led away.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted in support of allowing farmers to express their voice against the three farm laws, which farmers say threaten their livelihood in absence of a law-guaranteed minimum support price for the produce.
“All the three bills are anti-farmer. Instead of withdrawing this bill, farmers are being prevented from holding peaceful demonstration; water cannons are being used on them. This crime is absolutely wrong. Protesting peacefully is a constitutional right,” the AAP chief wrote in Hindi.
The reactions come amid reports of the Haryana Police using tear gas shells and water cannons to prevent farmers from marching towards Delhi for a two-day demonstration against three contentious laws meant to bring reforms and improve farmers’ earnings by allowing them to sell their produce in the commercial market, anywhere in the country.
Farmers from six states – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala and Punjab – have been planning the “Dilli Chalo” protest against these laws for two months.
They had sought permissions from the Haryana government to march to Delhi, which was denied. The state further ordered barricading of highways connecting Punjab and Delhi to Haryana, many districts of which must be crossed to reach the national capital. The state also put several leaders of farmers’ organisation in preventive custody on Tuesday.
The Delhi Police had also denied permission to hold rallies in the city, saying anyone who violates this rule would face legal action.
