Protesters should not harass families of politicians: Capt

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 1

Taking a serious note of attempts by some protesters to forcibly enter homes of political leaders and workers in support of the farmers’ agitation, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said such actions went against the spirit of ‘Punjabiyat’ and could not be condoned.

‘Hopeful of early resolution of stir’

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh greeted people on the New Year, and expressed hope of an early resolution of the peaceful farmers’ agitation. The CM stressed the importance of industry and communication for state’s progress and employment generation for children

Strongly condemning such behaviour, the Chief Minister appealed to the protesters not to cause any harassment or inconvenience to families of political functionaries of any party by resorting to these kind of acts. Invasion of privacy of people would bring a bad name to the peaceful agitation of the farmers and defeat its very objective, he warned, exhorting protesters not to take the law into their hands in their fight for farmers’ rights.

After months of showing exemplary restraint, and not indulging in any violence or lawlessness in Punjab, as well as at the borders of the National Capital, some protesters were losing restraint despite being categorically asked by their leaders to keep the protests peaceful, said Capt Amarinder. He urged the protesters to exercise restraint and express their solidarity with the farmers in the same spirit of self-discipline as had been demonstrated so far by farmer organisations and lakhs of their supporters.

The Chief Minister warned that such attempts at forcible entry into the houses of any political functionaries, or picketing of their homes, had the dangerous potential of vitiating the atmosphere of peace and destroy the harmony amongst people of diverse castes, religions, communities, etc, which was contrarian to the Punjabi spirit of harmony and unity. “Politics has its own place, but we must keep the spirit of Punjabiyat alive,” he said.