Digvijay was the first leader from the BJP-JJP alliance to condemn the police action at Pipli on September 10, where farmers had gathered to hold a rally against the ordinances.Amid hectic politics over the Centre’s three farm ordinances, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala’s younger brother and senior JJP leader Digvijay Chautala on Thursday met a farmer who was injured in alleged police lathicharge during protests at Pipli in Kurukshetra district.
He also declared that lathicharge of farmers was equivalent to lathicharge on the family of Jannayak, late Chaudhary Devi Lal.
Accompanied by state JJP president Nishan Singh, Digvijay gave Rs. 51,000 to the farmer, Natha Ram, while visiting his home at Chibba village in Kurukshetra district. While talking to journalists in Chandigarh earlier in the day, he apologised to farmers who he said faced lathicharge. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had earlier claimed no lathicharge took place, adding “there is no MLR (medico-legal report) and nobody received injuries”.
Digvijay was first leader from the BJP-JJP alliance to condemn the police action at Pipli on September 10, where farmers had gathered to hold a rally against the ordinances. “Resorting to lathicharge is brutal, especially on a senior citizen as the photos being played by media show. We don’t expect such things to take place. It has hurt the sentiments of farmers in general and we understand their pain,” Digvijay had said, adding that “the lathicharge can’t be justified in any manner”.
“The Jannayak Janta Party was always with the farmers, will always be with them and the interests of the farmers are always supreme for the party. If there is lathicharge on farmers, then it is not on those farmers but on the family of the Jannayak late Chaudhary Devi Lal Ji,” said Digvijay. He added that they were also born in a farmer family and understand the sufferings and problems of the farmers well.
Digvijay clarified that the JJP is fully with the farmers and that crop Minimum Support Price (MSP) will continue to stay and there is no need for farmers to feel misled and upset on the issue. He added that “after watching the video of lathicharge on farmers”, the first thing they did was “to condemn the incident as wrong”. He said that JJP had also clarified that whosoever issued orders for lathicharge on farmers should be investigated.
The JJP leader further said that the Opposition was misleading the farmers, whereas the central and state governments have already made it clear that purchase policy of the crop of farmers at the MSP will continue. He also said that when the paddy crop is procured on September 25, it will automatically become clear what intentions the Deputy CM and the state government have for the farmers. Digvijay said that some political parties are misleading the innocent farmers for their selfish interests.
He also accused Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others of “conspiring to defame” Dushyant, “when he has no role in it (lathicharge)”, and dared them to prove otherwise.
This year, the JJP is set to celebrate the 107th anniversary of Late Ch Devi Lal as ‘Sammaan Diwas’. “Those who believe in the ideology of JJP, INSO, Jannayak Sewa Dal and Ch. Devi Lal will remember Tau on this day and pay their respects on September 25. Along with collecting 107 units of blood from every district, all the statues of Ch Devi Lal will be cleaned and Ganga Jal will be offered. Plantation drive will be initiated in every village, town and city,” said Digvijay.
He added that Devi Lal’s anniversary is celebrated as a festival nationwide every year and on this day, scores of people who believe in his ideology remember him with fondness and pay their obeisance. This year, instead of holding a mega rally like every other year, JJP will celebrate the anniversary of Tau Devi Lal as ‘Sammaan Diwas’ following social distancing guidelines.
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