Congress's Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa.The Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa has taken issue with his party colleague MP Ravneet Singh Bittu on farmers’ protests.
Without naming Bittu, Bajwa, in a statement, said, “The farmers have shown their commitment to Gandhian ideals by ensuring there were no violent protests. This devotion to the Gandhian principles is further underlined by the fact that the 30 farmer unions have done their best to call for discussions with the Central government. Some of my younger colleagues in Parliament have recently opined that as other individuals have gone to show their support to the farmers at the borders of Delhi is a sign that the kisan unions have lost control of the protests (sick). I disagree with this position.”
He added that the farmers of Punjab have never shied away from their duty to the nation and must be commended for being able to maintain peace during the protests. “For over two months the farmers of Punjab had ensured that there were no violent incidents in the state during their protests. Despite facing water cannons, teargas and other forms of violence on their way to Delhi, the farmers and the kisan jathibandees have continued to maintain a violence-free protest.”
Bajwa went on to add that “I am terribly disappointed at the attempts to malign this protest. When Indians come out to dissent in a large fashion, they are not anti-national, but carrying out their constitutional duty in being active and engaged citizens. Yes, there may be those with ulterior motives who may try to ride on the coattails of these protests. Those individual views should not be used to delegitimize the larger movement. By attempting to use those extreme examples as proof that the larger movement is problematic will only further engender division and polarisation.”
The Government of India must now be magnanimous and repeal the recently passed farm laws, Bajwa said. He also demanded the Prime Minister to convene winter session of Parliament immediately.