NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday expressed outrage over the police brutality against the farmers in Punjab, who had gathered to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address at an event organised to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It alleged that the Congress government had provoked the police to attack the farmers with sticks and rods during the event.
BJP General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, while addressing the media at the party headquarters here said: "Under the patronage of the Congress government in Punjab, the police attacked the farmers and workers with iron rods and sticks during the event on Friday. Many of our workers have been seriously injured. One of our workers got 22-23 stitches, some got fractures in hand and legs."
Gautam said, "The police behaved like a Congress worker and made no effort to stop the attack on the farmers, who were sitting in a peaceful manner. In every way, the Punjab police tried to keep farmers away from Prime Minister Modi's programme and discouraged them. The tents put up by the farmers were also razed and they were removed from those places."
On the question of benefiting the capitalists, the BJP's General Secretary said, "People who are blocking the border repeatedly accuse us that we want to benefit industrialists like Adani and Ambani. I want to know what Adani and Ambani did before 2014? The photographs of Adani and Ambani will be found with many Congress leaders like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Captain Amarinder Singh and Sharad Pawar as well. "
Gautam said, "The statement of a Congress MP has also come up in the media, in which he has said that after January 1, we will see how bloodshed, slaughter and blood will be seen. In the context of the statements, I want to make it clear that if there is any kind of bloodshed coming, then it will be the responsibility of the Congress only because the party has got used to running a regime with bloodshed." (IANS)