Farmer Shubhkaran Singh's death: Punjab FM Harpal Cheema vows strict action against guilty

Chandigarh, March 1

Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Friday said strict action would be taken against those found guilty after investigation in the death of farmer Shubhkaran Singh during farmers’ agitation at Khanauri. He said the CM had announced Rs 1 crore to help the family of Shubhkaran.

Reacting to the Opposition Congress disrupting the Governor’s Address on the opening day of the Budget session, Cheema said the Opposition had insulted the august House. He said to hog the limelight during the live telecast of the proceedings, Opposition MLAs raised slogans and walked in the well of the House.

“Knowing well that the obituary references, including the farmers who died during the ongoing agitation on the borders with Haryana, were being taken up after the Governor’s address, the Opposition MLAs insisted on paying tributes to the farmers ahead of the address . This was against the set norms of the Vidhan Sabha”, said the minister

He reminded everyone that once the Congress MLAs used to stay awake at night in this Assembly protesting for longer sessions to debate on public issues, today it insulted democracy only for cheap publicity.

Referring to the farmers’ struggle against the three farm laws, Cheema questioned the Congress whether the then CM of the Congress government, Capt Amarinder Singh, who has now defected to the BJP, had wrtten any letter to the Union government in favour of the farmers.

He claimed that when the policy was being drafted about these laws, the then Finance Minister of Punjab supported these during the NITI Aayog meeting. He said on the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party and its Delhi Government stood strongly with the farmers.