You should have tried to speak to farmers before their Dilli Chalo protest: Punjab CM to Haryana CM

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has suggested to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that he should have tried to speak to farmers before their 'Dilli Chalo' march. Raveen Thukral, Media Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister in a series of tweets said, "Shocked at your response @mlkhattar ji. It's the farmers who've to be convinced on MSP, not me. You should've tried to talk to them before their #DilliChalo. And if you think I'm inciting farmers then why are Haryana farmers also marching to Delhi?: @capt_amarinder"

"It seems your govt has been so busy creating the bogey of the non-existent `love jihad' that you couldn't see the real problems of the farmers on the ground @mlkhattar ji. Do I need to spell out where the cheap politics and deception is actually happening? :@capt_amarinder," another tweet from Thukral read. In another tweet, he said, "As for endangering lives during #COVID19, have you forgotten that it was @BJP4India led central govt that pushed through those #FarmLaws amid the pandemic, uncaring about the impact they'd have on our farmers? Why didn't you speak out then @mlkhattar ji?:@capt_amarinder."

Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister on Thursday condemned the Haryana government's "forcible" attempts to stop farmers from marching to Delhi in protest against the Central farm laws.Urging the ML Khattar government to allow the agitated farmers to pass through the national highway to take their voice to Delhi peacefully, Singh questioned the need to stop them from proceeding, according to an official release by Punjab Chief Minister's Office (CMO). "Why is ML Khattar government in Haryana stopping the farmers from moving to Delhi? The tyrannical use of brute force against peacefully protesting farmers is totally undemocratic and unconstitutional," he said, asserting that "the hands that feed the nation deserve to be held, not pushed aside."

Stating that the constitutional right of farmers to protest was being suppressed, the Chief Minister flayed the use of "brute" force by the Haryana Police, which had used water cannons and tear gas in a bid to stop the Punjab farmers from marching through the state and had not allowed farmers from Haryana to move out of their villages in many places. "For nearly 2 months farmers have been protesting peacefully in Punjab without any problem. Why is the Haryana government provoking them by resorting to force? Don't the farmers have the right to pass peacefully through a public highway?" he asked.

Farmers are protesting against the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. (ANI)