CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing it of “shocking double standards on the farmers’ protests”, saying the party had completely exposed itself by “shamelessly implementing” the farm laws in the midst of the crisis, while pretending to be standing with the farmers.
Even as AAP was claiming to be supporting the agitating farmers, the party’s Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi had brazenly executed the “black laws” through a gazette notification on November 23, 2020, Amarinder said, claiming that the party was clearly indulging in political games to further its electoral agenda.
Quite clearly, AAP had been working behind the farmers’ backs all these days, alleged Amarinder, expressing shock at the fact that even before the farmers had embarked on their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, the Kejriwal government had actually issued the notification.
“Do they have no shame,” asked Amarinder, slamming AAP for misleading the kisan unions by pretending to be supporting their cause while all this time, Kejriwal’s party was merely indulging in political theatrics.
“First they failed to pass any amendment laws in the Delhi assembly to negate the central laws, as was done in Punjab. And now they have gone so far as to officially notify the agricultural legislations in Delhi, where AAP is in power. The party’s true intent and affiliation has been utterly exposed,” Capt Amarinder noted.
Responding to AAP’s criticism of his handling of the situation and for taking on Haryana CM Monohar Lal Khattar, Amarinder remarked that while he was busy fighting for the rights of his farmers, Kejriwal was preparing to pull the rug from under the feet of the farmers, who had been braving all kinds of atrocities by the Haryana government in their quest for justice.
“Not once did AAP criticise the brutality inflicted on farmers,” he claimed, adding that, instead, Arvind Kejriwal’s party had failed to even condemn the Akalis for their role in the legislation of the central agricultural ordinances.
Observing that the AAP government in Delhi did not even accept the farmers’ demand for a protest site at Ram Lila ground or Jantar Mantar, Capt Amarinder asked why they had been toeing the BJP line in the whole affair.
He also criticised AAP for “befooling” the farmers with its ill-conceived suggestion that the Punjab government should pass a bill in the state Assembly to make MSP a statutory right for farmers in the state.