Farmers protesting against 3 agri laws have faced tear gas shells, water cannons, baton charge in Haryana
Highlights
- Amarinder Singh has asked centre to initiate talks with farmers
- “The central government needs to show statesmanship,” he said
- Farmers have faced tear gas shells, water cannons in Haryana
New Delhi:
Why wait till December 3, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said urging the Central government to immediately initiate talks with protesting farmers to defuse the tense situation at the Delhi border.
“The central government needs to show statesmanship and accept the farmers’ demand for assured MSP (minimum support price), which is the basic right of every farmer. If they can give verbal assurance, I fail to understand why they can’t make it a legal obligation of the Government of India,” the Congress leader questioned a day after being accused of instigating farmers to continue their “Delhi Chalo” protest.
The accusation had become the focal point of his heated exchange with Manohar Lal Khattar, the Chief Minister of BJP-ruled Haryana where tear gas shells and water cannons were used to halt farmers, who succeeding in pushing past and reaching Delhi border.
Those claiming it’s @INCIndia that’s instigating the farmers are blind not to see the lakhs of farmers trying to enter Delhi from across the country. It’s a fight for their lives & livelihoods & they don’t need any backing or provocation.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 27, 2020
The remark comes within days of the central government inviting the farmers’ unions from Punjab for a second round of ministerial talks on December 3 – a pre-condition for calling off the two-month-long ‘rail roko’ agitation in that state against the recently enacted farm laws.
An earlier meeting with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on November 13 had ended inconclusively.
On Friday, farmers’ organisations behind the protest – which has been in planning for two months – had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding negotiations and that farmers should be allowed to reach Delhi to make their demands heard.
The letter came in the backdrop of severe police action in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh – the two entry states for the national capital, where farmers say can camp for months if their demand for legally assured minimum support price is not met.
On Friday morning, the Delhi police also used tear gas shells and water cannons to stop them from congregating citing coronavirus pandemic.
We are more scared of discrimination and loss of livelihood than of Covid pandemic, farmers told NDTV.