Displaying apparently contrasting attitudes to the Centre over the farmers’ protests on the Shambhu and Khanauri border factors, Punjab’s ruling AAP and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have accused the BJP-led authorities of neglecting the farmers’ plight and state Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian has as soon as once more urged it to speak to the farmers.
Mann hit out on the Centre throughout a current deal with to the media. “If one thing occurs to (farmer chief Jagjit Singh) Dallewal, all the duty would relaxation on the Bharatiya Janata Celebration. There needs to be a dialogue. The problem shall be sorted. Don’t suppose that you may create issues for Punjab. What’s stopping them from moving into for talks? All spokespersons of the BJP preserve saying that it will likely be sorted after a dialogue. However then the Centre retains telling us to take Dallewal to hospital,” he stated.
“The person has been sitting on a starvation strike for 38 days. However the state of affairs on the website shouldn’t be such that he needs to be shifted. We had taken him to DMC Hospital for a well being check-up. We will say something to him provided that he doesn’t go for talks. Punjab contributes most to the central pool. I wish to inform the Centre to not be adamant. Stubbornness solely worsens issues. These are resolved solely after sitting on the desk. Wars happen on this planet and weapons and missiles are fired. However points are resolved throughout the desk,” he added.
Earlier than Mann, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal additionally lashed out on the Centre, writing on X that if one thing occurred to Dallewal, all the duty would relaxation with the BJP. He additionally stated the Centre was making an attempt to herald the controversial farm legal guidelines by the again door by introducing a “coverage”. Later, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi additionally criticised the Centre.
Alternatively, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian has sought the Centre’s intervention, not as soon as however twice, in search of a dialogue with the farmers. Throughout a pre-budget assembly chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the AAP minister pressed for private intervention and referred to as for a dialogue with farmers protesting at Shambhu and Khanauri.
This was the second time in lower than a fortnight that Khuddian had approached the Centre for assist to finish the deadlock. He wrote on December 20 to Chouhan flagging Dallewal’s deteriorating well being. His quick entered its forty second day on January 4.
At a digital pre-budget assembly of the Union minister with state agriculture ministers, Khuddian urged Chouhan to take a extra lively position. “I instructed the Union minister that he has been chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, and he is aware of that as CMs of states, they give the impression of being as much as the Centre to resolve some crises. I instructed him that the scenario was changing into worrisome and his pressing consideration was the necessity of the hour,” Khuddian instructed The Indian Categorical after the assembly.
Earlier than that, Mann, who has not formally written any letter in search of a dialogue, stated, “I discuss to them day by day. Once we discuss to them, then the place is the necessity to write? Our officers are in contact. Our DGP talks to the Union agriculture minister and his joint secretaries.”
The chief minister was responding to a query about why he was not assembly any Union minister in Delhi to press for initiating a dialogue with the farmers. All eyes have been on Mann when he left for Delhi on January 3, because it was speculated that he would possibly search an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nevertheless, he attended former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s bhog and returned to Chandigarh.
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