BKU rejects Amarinder Singh's appeal to call off three-day Patiala protest in Covid times

NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday urged Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) not to go ahead with its proposed three-day protest in Patiala, saying that it could turn into a super-spreader for Covid-19. The organization rejected the appeal, saying not just the central government but the state government, too, is equally responsible for miseries of farmers, including the inability to contain the impact of the pandemic.
In his appeal, Amarinder said the farm group’s action was unwarranted, considering the total support the state government had extended to the agitating farmers all these months against the Centre’s three farm laws. “It is time for farmers now to reciprocate by supporting the state government in the fight against the pandemic,” he said.
The organisation’s president, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, said: “We will hold the protest for sure by adopting the Covid precautions from May 28 to 30. We are more concerned about the health of our own people,” he said. adding that both central and state governments had failed to save the farmers from the pandemic.