Mann govt has backstabbed farmers, cries Opposition

The Opposition parties today accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of backstabbing farm leaders — Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.

Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu said detention of farm leaders, who were heading back after holding a meeting with Union Ministers, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Piyush Goyal, was highly condemnable. Accusing CM Mann of hatching a conspiracy against farmers, Bittu said the action was taken to appease urban voters in the wake of Ludhiana (West) bypoll.

He said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had been pushing for urban-rural divide in Punjab, but would not succeed.

Condemning the detention of farm leaders by the Punjab Police, Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said farmers had been backstabbed by the Mann govt.

He alleged that the farm leaders had been detained to divert attention from the outrage over brutal manhandling of a Colonel and his son by police personnel. “There is no logic in detaining farm leaders when the negotiations between them and the Central representatives are progressing well,” said Warring.

Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said CM Mann in collusion with the BJP was adopting a policy of deceit to suppress farmers. He said Punjabis should show AAP its place as the party had been exposed. Former CM and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi said farmers had been detained after CM Mann met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi today. He claimed that strong posse of police and paramilitary force had been called to quell the farmers’ stir.

Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, “God is watching the excesses you are committing on farmers. CM Mann has been blinded by the arrogance of power.”

Former SAD president Sukhbir Badal said, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who promised to give MSP, is committing atrocities on farmers. The detained farm leaders should be released at the earliest.”

Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is trying to suppress the voice of farmers.”