हिंदी
Bikram Singh Majithia says party will bring more protests to the city and lead protest to Delhi also
Asks Rahul Gandhi to explain his questionable conduct in facilitating passage of agri bills before coming to Punjab
Asserts CM Capt Amarinder Singh was playing a fixed match with the centre
Chandigarh, October 2 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the repression let loose by the police on Akali workers who had assembled peacefully on the outskirts of the city to protest against the injustice done to farmers, even as it announced that it would bring more protests to Chandigarh besides leading a protest to Delhi also.
Addressing a press conference here, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said it seemed the Congress government in Punjab and the centre had played a fixed match yesterday with the intention of derailing the peaceful protests. “If the centre feels it can silence us by conducting a brutal lathi charge against us which injured senior leaders and workers it has still not understood the deep sense of anguish of the farmers of Punjab whose virtual existence is in question. We will continue to agitate to protect the rights of farmers and will not be cowed down by such highhandness”.
Giving details, Mr Bikram Majithia said when he along with a group of other leaders courted arrest at Mullanpur and were being led to a bus police personnel attacked them brutally without any provocation. He said earlier in the melee senior leaders Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra and Gulzar Singh Ranike were also injured. He said similarly in the protest at Zirakpur senior leader and mp Balwinder Singh Bhundur was manhandled by the police even as several party workers were injured due to police brutality both in Zirakpur and Mullanpur.
Meanwhile answering a question, the senior Akali leader said before coming to Punjab, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should explain his questionable conduct which had facilitated easy passage of the three agricultural bills in parliament. He said it was too much of a coincidence that Rahul and Congress President Sonia Gandhi left for the United States for a routine medical checkup one day before tabling of the agricultural bills in parliament and returned back on the day they were passed. Mr Majithia said Rahul should also explain why he supported the abolition of the APMC Act and the “Mandikaran” system in 2019.
He also asked the Congress leader to explain why his party was acting power hungry by partnering the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra after the latter supported passage of the agricultural bills in the Lok Sabha. Stating that Rahul was coming to Punjab only for a photo-op, Mr Majithia said the Congress leader was oblivious to the suffering of the farmers and had not raised a single voice against non-payment of dues to sugarcane farmers of the State.
Mr Majithia said similarly chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was also playing a fixed match with the centre by refusing to take any concrete step to save the future of the farmers of Punjab. He said even though it was nearly a week since SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal had suggested that a special assembly session be called to make the entire State a single Mandi to ensure the new agricultural laws could not be implemented in Punjab, the chief minister had refused to do the needful. The SAD leader also condemned the chief minister for trying to derail the peaceful protests by stating that the Pak ISI would infiltrate them as another ploy to divide and rule.
Mr Majithia also pointed out that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener Arvind Kejriwal had maintained a deafening silence since months and had refused to come out in favour of the farmers of Punjab who were protesting against the new agri laws. “This speaks volumes about the AAP’s love for the farmers and khet mazdoor of Punjab”, he added.
