Punjab CM Amarinder Singh lashes out at Kejriwal for exploiting farmers' agitation

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday attacked his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal for "exploiting" the ongoing agitation of the farmers to "further his party's petty electoral agenda with blatant lies and brazenly false propaganda".

"In sharp contrast to the Kejriwal government in Delhi, which had been thriving on corporate houses' crumbs, the Punjab government had neither signed any agreement with Adani Power nor was even aware of the private players bidding for power purchase in the state," said the Chief Minister, in a hard-hitting reaction to the latest campaign by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab.

It was, in fact, the Kejriwal government that was shamelessly notifying one of the black farm laws on November 23, at a time when farmers were preparing to march to Delhi to protest these very farm laws, said Amarinder Singh.

"And now they're indulging in theatrics by announcing that they'd be sitting on fast in support of the farmers' hunger strike on Monday," he added.

"Do you have no shame? At a time when our farmers are braving the winter cold on the roads outside your city, and many of them are dying fighting for their rights, all you can think of is how to make the most of the opportunity to promote your political interests," he said.

"Instead of doing anything constructive to help the protesting farmers, who are sitting outside his city for the past 17 days to seek justice, you and your party are busy playing politics," Amarinder Singh added.

Training his gun at AAP's Bhagwant Mann "for shooting off his mouth without bothering to verify facts of the power purchase situation in Punjab", the Chief Minister said "he was just a comedian who nobody ever took seriously".

Pointing out that Punjab had been purchasing additional power to support farmers during the sowing season for years, the Chief Minister said it was obvious that Kejriwal and his party neither knew nor cared about what goes into sowing or what the needs of the farmers are.

All they are concerned about is taking advantage of the plight of the farmers for their vested political interests, he added.

From backstabbing the farmers by implementing one of the black farm laws, to trying to dump them in a corner of Delhi, Kejriwal had proved time and again that he was no friend of the farmers, said Amarinder Singh.

He warned the Delhi CM that his latest attempt to drive a wedge between the Punjab government and the farmers would not succeed.

Not only has the Punjab government supported the farmers through the past three months of their agitation, it has even passed amendment Bills in the Vidhan Sabha to nullify the farm laws, he pointed out, challenging Kejriwal to cite even one example of any welfare measure taken by his government for the farmers. (IANS)

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