Chandigarh, Sep 14 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that it was unfortunate that the farmers agitating against the contentious farm laws had given a political twist to his remarks instead of understanding the pain and misery caused to the people on account of their protests in the state, which were quite uncalled for, given his government’s continued support to them.
Reacting to Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s criticism of the remarks made by him on Monday on the issue, the Chief Minister lamented that despite his government’s unequivocal support to their cause, the farmers had misinterpreted his appeal and had, instead, tried to link it with the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab.
His government, as well as the people of Punjab, have always stood with the farmers on the issue of the farm laws, and it was sad that they were now being made to suffer due to the continued protests by the farmers across the state, he added.
Capt Amarinder asserted that there was no question of trying to split the farmers of Punjab and Haryana, all of whom were equal victims of the apathy of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the neighbouring state.
“My government, in contrast, has not only firmly supported the farmers’ fight against the farm laws but had even brought in amendment bills in the Vidhan Sabha to mitigate their adverse impact,” he pointed out, adding that those bills had, unfortunately, not been forwarded by the Governor to the President for his assent.
Pointing out that the farmers’ fight was against the BJP, which was solely responsible for thrusting the anti-farmer legislations on Punjab and other states, Capt Amarinder said causing inconvenience to the people of Punjab was not justified under any circumstances.
He rejected the Morcha’s claims that there was no paralysis of the government in Punjab due to the farmers’ protests, pointing out that it was not the Adanis or the Ambanis whose interests were being hurt by such protests but of the common people of the state, as well as its economy.
The Adanis’ assets in Punjab were a miniscule 0.8 per cent of their total assets, and the presence of the Reliance Group stood at a nominal 0.1 per cent, the Chief Minister observed, adding that the losses caused to these industries due to the farmers’ unrest in the state were too minor to be of any serious concern to them.
“It is the people of Punjab who are suffering due to the disruption of services as a result of the protests,” he said.
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