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MP Preneet Kaur supports Lok Sabha Ethics Panel report on Mahua Moitra

November 9, 2023, 6:25 pm

Lok Sabha MP and suspended Congress leader Preneet Kaur voted in favor of the Lok Sabha Ethics Panel’s report on ‘cash-for-query’ charges against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, according to panel Chairman Vinod Kumar Sonkar. Preneet Kaur, the wife of former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, is currently in the BJP.

The Parliamentary Ethics Committee adopted the report on Thursday, with Kaur among the six members supporting it and four opposed. Kaur’s decision to vote against Moitra was backed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who commended her for standing uncompromisingly for national security. Kaur was suspended from the Congress in February for alleged anti-party activities and supporting the BJP.

Moitra, accused of ‘cash-for-questions,’ faced allegations of targeting the Adani Group in Lok Sabha at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani. The Ethics Committee’s draft report accuses Moitra of ‘unethical conduct,’ sharing her login credentials, and raising concerns about her visits to the UAE.

Vinod Sonkar confirmed that the report was adopted by a majority vote and sent to the Lok Sabha Speaker, stating that some members tried to obstruct the probe. The draft report reveals that Moitra’s login was accessed multiple times from Dubai, raising concerns about the fairness of the inquiry and prompting opposition MPs to submit dissent notes. The committee will submit the report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for further action.

Punjab CM Mann presents 249 candidates from various departments with appointment letters

September 12, 2023, 1:59 pm

On Tuesday, 249 candidates from various departments received appointment letters from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. In the process, he made fun of previous administrations and former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, questioning whether or not the latter was “really a captain.” The former finance minister, according to Bhagwant Mann, consistently claimed that the treasury was empty for nine years.

Mann said, “The government should give hope to the people. I never said that the treasury was empty but I would definitely say that there were a lot of leakages in the treasury. Currently, the revenue of GST is huge and the treasury of Punjab is increasing in many ways.”

CAPT AMARINDER SLAMS DELHI VIOLENCE, CALLS FARMERS TO RETURN TO BORDERS

January 27, 2021, 8:12 am

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted on Tuesday to criticise those behind the violence that consumed parts of Delhi on Republic Day.

“Shocking scenes in Delhi. The violence by some elements is unacceptable. It’ll negate goodwill generated by peacefully protesting farmers. Kisan leaders have disassociated themselves and suspended the tractor rally. I urge all genuine farmers to vacate Delhi and return to the borders,” the CM tweeted.

As the nation celebrated Republic Day in the morning, farmers protesting outside Delhi’s borders for nearly two months knocked down police barricades long before the time that had been agreed upon for their tractor rally in the capital. The farmers entered Delhi and managed to reach the ITO intersection, which is almost the heart of Delhi. There were clashes between farmers and cops at the spot, right outside the Delhi Police headquarters.

The situation rapidly escalated as farmers drove their tractors into the iconic Red Fort. Protesting farmers climbed the ramparts and tried to put up yellow flags of Sikh religious significance.

The farmers have blamed “anti-social elements” for the violence and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a federation of 40 farmer unions, has dissociated itself from the chaos and appealed for calm.

“We appeal strongly to everyone to stick to the route and norms of the Parade, and not indulge in any violent action or anything that taints national symbols and dignity. We appeal to everyone to desist from any such acts,” a statement from the organisation said.

BJP TRYING TO USE THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR: CAPT AMARINDER

January 4, 2021, 2:23 am

Reacting sharply to the BJP state unit’s tweet accusing him of trying to make Punjab into another West Bengal, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that it was the power-hungry BJP which had been trying to use the office of the Governor for its own vested interests. “It has been happening in West Bengal, it happened in Maharashtra, and now they are trying to do the same in Punjab,” said Captain Amarinder, adding that BJP is shamelessly doing efforts to force its way into power in states where they are currently not ruling.

The BJP, which has been systemically trampling all democratic and Constitutional institutions, has not spared even the office of Governor, said the Chief Minister, adding that “these actions do not behoove a party that is the custodian of these institutions as the ruling party at the Centre.”

Captain Amarinder quipped that the BJP, despite being a national party, seemed totally ignorant about the Constitutional provisions, according to which the Governor was the titular head of the state but all administration authority vested with the chief minister. “Don’t these BJP leaders know that the law and order responsibility of my state lies with me not only as chief minister but also as the home minister?,” he asked, urging the BJP leaders of Punjab to first learn the ABCs of the Indian Constitution before shooting their mouth on Constitutional matters.

The Chief Minister said the party was shamelessly exploiting the present situation and spreading a carnage of lies for furthering its political interests. This, he said, was evident in their bid to project the farmers’ genuine anger as a law and order situation in Punjab.

Incidents of BJP leaders facing the wrath of farmers have been reported from the BJP-ruled Haryana, and even UP, he pointed out, adding that by the same yardstick those should also be construed as a case of collapse of law and order in those states. “And if the incidents of farmers venting their anger at BJP leaders in Punjab are at the behest of the ruling Congress here, as they are alleging, then by the same logic, the ruling BJP in Haryana and UP is to blame for the trouble there,” he added.

The Chief Minister also hit out at the BJP over its threat of gherao of Punjab Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu’s house if FIR is not registered against him by the Punjab Police. This was not only ridiculous but another instance of the BJP playing to the gallery since the Delhi Police had already registered a case in a non-cognizable offence against Bittu, he added.

It was sad that at a time when farmers were dying every day in the bitter winter cold while sitting in protest at Delhi borders for the past nearly 40 days, the BJP was busy indulging in cheap politics, said Captain Amarinder. The BJP would gain more political mileage by responding to the woes of the farmers and heeding their voice instead of resorting to political theatrics and lies, he said.

“The entire nation can feel the pain of the farmers except the party which heads the country,” said Captain Amarinder, urging the BJP-led central government to bring the farming crisis to an end before it gets completely out of hand.

PUNJAB CM TAKES SERIOUS NOTE OF PROTESTERS’ ATTEMPTS TO FORCIBLY ENTER HOMES OF POLITICIANS

January 2, 2021, 3:34 am

Taking serious note of attempts by some protesters to forcibly enter homes of political leaders and workers in support of the farmers’ agitation, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday said such actions went against the spirit of Punjabiyat and could not be condoned.

Strongly condemning such behaviour, the Chief Minister appealed to the protestors not to cause any harassment or inconvenience to families of political functionaries of any party by resorting to these kind of acts. Invasion of privacy of people would bring a bad name to the peaceful agitation of the farmers and defeat its very objective, he warned, exhorting protestors not to take the law into their hands in their fight for the farmers’ rights.

After months of showing exemplary restraint, and not indulging in any violence or lawlessness in Punjab, as well as at the borders of the national capital, some protestors were losing restraint despite being categorically asked by Kisan leaders to keep the protests peaceful, said Captain Amarinder. He urged these protesters to exercise restraint and express their solidarity with the farmers in the same spirit of self-discipline as had been demonstrated so far by farmer organizations and lakhs of their supporters.

The Chief Minister further warned that such attempts at forcible entry into the houses of any political functionaries, or picketing of their homes, had the dangerous potential of vitiating the atmosphere of peace and destroy the harmony amongst people of diverse castes, religions, communities etc, which was contrarian to the Punjabi spirit of harmony and unity. Politics has its own place, but we must keep the spirit of Punjabiyat alive, he said.

Urging the protestors to keep faith in the Kisan Leaders who were engaged in talks with the Central Government to resolve the crisis triggered by the enactment of the black Farm Laws, the Chief Minister said any acts of harassment or violence were violative of the spirit of their democratic to protest peacefully. Traumatisation of the families of political leaders or workers through such acts could also lead to a law and order problem in Punjab, which had achieved the distinction of being one of the most peaceful states in the country in the past few years, he pointed out.

Capt Amarinder greets people with hope of early resolution of farmers’ problems and freedom from Covid

January 2, 2021, 3:30 am

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday greeted the people on New Year, with hopes and prayers of early resolution of the problems of the peacefully protesting farmers, and emphasis on the importance of industry and communications for the state’s progress and employment generation for children.

While hoping for freedom from the pandemic, he also appealed to all Punjabis to continue to exercise caution and restraint amid the outbreak of a new more contagious strain of Covid in many parts of the world.

Congratulating the farmers for continuing to exercise their democratic and Constitutional right to protest in a peaceful manner, the Chief Minister said they had won the hearts of the people worldwide with their behaviour. Not a single instance of rioting or violence was resorted to by the agitating farmers earlier during their protest in Punjab, and now at the Delhi borders, he pointed out.

In his live message, the Chief Minister lauded the courage of Punjabis, who had not only fought the pandemic bravely but also continued to deliver excellent performance across agriculture, industry and trade and other fields despite the problems faced during the year gone by. He made particular mention of all the frontline workers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, police etc, who had bravely fought through the pandemic to protect the people of Punjab. He, however, warned that Covid had not yet ended and urged the people to continue to take care of themselves and their families.

In a tough year, marked by the Covid crisis since March 22, 2020 followed by the prolonged farmers’ fight for justice, the state had witnessed record production of wheat and rice, said Captain Amarinder. In fact, Punjabis had continued to do their duties unwaveringly, with full commitment and courage, on all fronts even in these trying conditions, he said. He also cited the examples of trade and industry, which had revived successfully due to the hard work of Punjabis after facing total shutdown for several months. All the 240000 industrial units in Ludhiana are now open, he noted, adding that even at present, industries worth Rs 65000-Rs 70000 crore were being set up in Punjab.

Stressing that “the world is recognising the accomplishments of Punjab”, the Chief Minister said this underlined the appreciation for Punjabis’ bravery, the state’s success in controlling Covid and the fact that it was free of any law and order problem. “It is important to ensure that investment and industry keeps coming into the state for the generation of employment for our children so that they do not go out of Punjab for jobs,” he added.

Captain Amarinder noted that in the modern electronic age, where communication was critical to progress and speed was of essence, Punjab could not afford to lag behind and needed to move forward with aggression, at a fast pace.

Expressing the hope that 2021 will see a new era of progress being ushered into the state, with the problems of the farmers being quickly solved, the Chief Minister asserted that his government would do everything in its power to push development and resolve any other issues facing the state.

He said he felt blessed to be an important part of the auspicious occasions of the historic Prakash Parvs of various Sikh Gurus for the second time in his life. In his previous term as chief minister, he had led various historic religious celebrations, he said. And in this term, after the momentous celebrations of the 550th Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, he was happy to be steering the glorious celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of Hind ki Chadar, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji, who had given up his life for Kashmiri Pandits, thus underlining the timelessness of Hindu-Sikh unity. This unity has always been there and shall always remain, he said.

Wishing all citizens and their families good health and happiness, the Chief Minister said with the end of what was clearly one of the worst years of his life, he hoped for ‘Chardi Kalan’ for all, with the desires of every Punjabi being fulfilled in 2021.

INCIDENTS OF MOBILE TOWERS VANDALISATION DECLINED DRASTICALLY: PUNJAB CM

January 1, 2021, 3:22 am

The Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, on Thursday lashed out at State BJP President Ashwani Sharma, saying that he was spreading false propaganda to further his party’s political agenda. The Punjab Chief Minister said that Ashwani Sharma’s desperate attempts to falsely project a law and order problem in Punjab reflected the BJP’s fear of complete annihilation in the upcoming civic polls.

Interacting informally with mediapersons after dedicating the Chandigarh-Kharar elevated corridor to citizens, the Chief Minister said the state BJP’s request to the Governor for postponement of the civic polls on the baseless grounds of a law and order situation collapse showed that the party leadership was in complete panic at the prospect of facing elections at a time when the people were angry at them over the new farm laws.

Faced with the wrath of the people of Punjab, Ashwani and his party colleagues were now resorting to desperate measures to wriggle out of the polls, he said. Pointing out that Punjab had been voted as the No. 1 state in India on the law and order front in the ‘States of State’ annual survey conducted by a media group, the Chief Minister said that the bogey of law and order problems in Punjab was being created by the BJP only to save itself from the anger of the farmers. Their frustration was evident from their bid to pass off pictures of his old meetings with some corporate leaders as collusion against the farmers, he added.

Dismissing the ‘atrocious’ BJP state leadership’s charges that the Congress was responsible for the damage to mobile towers and the resultant loss of studies for students, the Chief Minister asked, “Are we responsible for the farmers’ angst against the BJP? We were not the ones who enacted the Farm Laws, it was the BJP-led Central Government. We, in fact, negated them by passing the amendment bills in the Assembly.”

Noting that the number of such incidents had come down drastically following his appeals and the strict warning to those damaging property, Captain Amarinder said this clearly exposed the lies being shamelessly mouthed by Sharma. Only a couple of incidents of minor damage were reported on Thursday, he said, adding that his government would ensure that not a single case of damage takes place in the coming days. “The situation is now under control, with most of the damaged towers already repaired,” he added.

“While these incidents were unfortunate, the fact was that these were happening as a result of the spontaneous outburst of farmers as their genuine demands had not been conceded so far,” said the Chief Minister, trashing Punjab BJP leaders’ claims that the Government of India had accepted the demands of the farmers from the outset. Had their demands been conceded, the farmers would not have been sitting out in the winter chill at Delhi’s borders, the Punjab CM said, adding that the power-hungry BJP leaders had remained untouched even by the fact that some 50 protesting farmers had died, including some by suicide.

When asked to comment on the acceptance of two of the key demands of the agitating farmers by the Centre at their last round of meetings, Captain Amarinder Singh said that the issue was now between the farmers and the Government of India. He hoped the Centre would soon accede to the remaining demands of the farmers too.

Replying to a question regarding the local bodies elections in the state, the Chief Minister said that the process is already underway and the dates would be finalized and announced soon as, constitutionally, the government is bound to hold these elections before February 15, 2021.

WON’T TOLERATE DESTRUCTION OF ANY PROPERTY: PUNJAB CM ON MOBILE TOWERS

December 29, 2020, 3:20 am

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday issued a stern warning against vandalisation of mobile towers and disruption of telecom services in the state, and directed police to take strict action against all those resorting to such unlawful activities.

Making it clear that he will not tolerate destruction of any private or public property in Punjab, the Chief Minister said he was forced to toughen his stance as his repeated appeals to perpetrators of such acts had been ignored.

The Chief Minister asserted that he will not let Punjab be plunged into anarchy at any cost and nobody can be allowed to take law into their hands. Pointing out that his government had not objected to, or stopped, peaceful protests in the state against the Centre’s black farm laws for the past several months, he said that damage to property and inconvenience to the citizens could not, however, be endured.

Calling upon farmers and their supporters to put an immediate stop to such destructive activities, which were being disowned by farmer leaders themselves, the Chief Minister said disruption of telecom services could lead to a communications blackout in the state, causing its people, especially students and working professionals, to suffer serious consequences.

With examinations, especially Board exams, nearing and students dependent on online education amid the Covid pandemic, such communication breakdown could seriously affect their future, he said. The Chief Minister said his government had already distributed 1.75 lakh Smart Phones to class XII students to equip them for the Board exams, but the vandalization of telecom property was hampering the students.

The Chief Minister further said that professionals working from home, with many of them having come to Punjab during the pandemic, could lose their jobs due to such acts of violence and damage to property. Even banking services, which were also largely dependent on online transactions in these times of crisis, were taking a major hit due to these unlawful acts, he added.

The farmers’ agitation had so far been successful and had garnered the support of people from all sections of the society and across the country due to its peaceful nature, said the Chief Minister, warning that use of violence could alienate the protestors from the masses, which would be detrimental to the interests of the farming community.

While his government’s sympathies were with the agitating farmers, which was why it had also brought in state amendment Bills in the Vidhan Sabha to negate the central government’s legislations, nobody could be allowed to take law and order in their hands, said Captain Amarinder.

Of the 1,561 towers affected over the past few days, 146 were impacted since Monday morning due to disruption of power supply to 32 towers, which led to disconnection of services of the remaining 114. So far, 433 towers have been repaired, according to an official spokesperson. The state has a total of 21306 mobile towers spread across its 22 districts.

Despite CM appeal, over 1,300 telecom towers disrupted in Punjab

December 28, 2020, 4:12 am

NEW DELHI: Despite appeals by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, more than 1,300 telecom towers have been disrupted in Punjab, badly affecting the services in the state.

On 25 December, Punjab Chief Minister’s Office had issued an appeal to farmers not to disrupt telecom services in the state. “Chief Minister @capt_amarinderSingh appeals to farmers not to disrupt state’s telecom services & inconvenience citizens. Chief Minister urges them to show the same restraint & discipline as they’d been exercising at the Delhi border,” Punjab CMO tweeted.

A total of 700 towers were already down by 4 pm on Friday when CM sent out his appeal and CMO issued the WhatsApp. Then an appeal was issued from @CMOPunjab issued 4.54 pm.

Despite the appeal, 1,235 towers (against 700 before the tweet) were downed at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday. Despite this, 400 sites were upped by companies.

As of 8 am on Sunday, 1,338 sites were down and almost 151 sites were down since 8 pm on Saturday.

The towers that are down include those run by Indus Towers, the self owned, self operated towers of Jio, BSNL-owned towers and Jio’s AG-II towers.

Stop maligning farmers’ genuine fight for justice: Capt Amarinder to BJP

December 28, 2020, 4:10 am

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said that the BJP should stop maligning the farmers and their genuine fight for justice by calling them offensive names like “Urban Naxals”, “Khalistanis”, “Hooligans”, etc.

“If the BJP cannot distinguish between anguished citizens fighting for their survival and terrorists/militants/hooligans, it should give up all pretence of being a people’s party,” said the Chief Minister. A party which treats citizens exercising their democratic right of protest as Naxals and terrorists has lost all right to rule over those citizens, he added.

Captain Amarinder said with these remarks, the BJP leadership had hit a new low in its desperation to promote its political agenda. He pointed out that such protests by angry farmers were taking place not just in Punjab but also in BJP-ruled states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. “Do the farmers protesting in all these places look like Naxals to you? And does that mean that law and order has collapsed everywhere,” he asked.

“What is being seen in all these states, as well as the Delhi borders, is the sorry fall-out of the BJP-led central government’s failed policy on Agriculture, and its mishandling of the situation triggered by the farmers protest,” said the Chief Minister. Instead of heeding the plea of the ‘Annadatas’ and responding to their concerns, the BJP was busy trying to demean them and stifle their voice, he lamented.

Pointing out that various farmer leaders had themselves appealed to agitating farmers not to disconnect power to mobile towers, the Chief Minister said this clearly showed that what was being witnessed on the ground in some places was a spontaneous manifestation of the wrath of farmers who see a dark future ahead as a result of the new farm laws. He pointed out that Kisan Unions had clearly stated that they did not want farmers to indulge in such acts. In fact, the Unions had advised all protestors, and those standing with the farmers, to port their numbers out of the network of the telecom provider whom they had decided to boycott, he added.

The Chief Minister noted that the farmer leaders themselves believed, and were stressing, that it was imperative for the success of their movement to ensure that it remains peaceful. “Is that the language of Naxals, as BJP leader Tarun Chugh is alleging?” he asked, dubbing the BJP.

In sharp contrast to the BJP, the Congress believed in upholding the people’s constitutional right of peaceful protest, which even the Supreme Court had validated in the context of the farmers’ agitation, the Chief Minister said. “But the BJP and its leaders like Chugh seem to be bent on stifling all such protests with their brazen lies and false propaganda,” he added.

The CM also took a dig at Chugh’s plea to the Union home ministry ‘to keep an eye on such developments in Punjab’, saying that it would been better for the state if the BJP leader had sought the Centre’s support in keeping any eye on the fresh spurt of terrorist movement, as well as smuggling of weapons, in Punjab.

WILL DIE FOR FARMERS BUT WILL NOT BOW DOWN TO ANYONE: KEJRIWAL

December 15, 2020, 2:23 am

Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab state unit president and MP Bhagwant Mann, along with party MLAs, volunteers and senior leaders, observed a hunger strike on Monday in response to the nationwide protest call given by the farmers against the Centre’s farm laws. At the same time, various party MLAs and local leaders took active part in the district level farmers’ protests in the state. Captain Amarinder Singh, however, said that Kejriwal “will sell your soul if it serves your purpose”.

Kejriwal said that the AAP is with the farmers and their struggle in full spirits. He said: “We will die for the farmers of this country, but we will not bow down to anyone’s pressure.” Kejriwal appealed to the Central government that the simple demands of the farmers be met and the Central farm laws be revoked, and, legal guarantee on the purchase of MSP be provided.

In a statement issued from party headquarters on Monday, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said that to send a strong message to the Union government in support of the protesting farmers, party’s National Convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, MP Bhagwant Mann, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Punjab Affairs In-charge Jarnail Singh, along with all MLAs and Rajya Sabha members, went on a hunger strike in Delhi, whereas he (Cheema) himself sat on hunger strike, along with MLAs and other leaders in Chandigarh, in solidarity with the farmers.

The Deputy Leader of Opposition Sarabjit Kaur Manuke participated in farmers’ “dharna” at Ludhiana, MLA Prof Baljinder Kaur at Bathinda, MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan at Faridkot, MLA Principal Budhram at Mansa and MLA Jai Krishan Singh Rouri at Hoshiarpur participated at the district level farmers’ dharna with local leaders and volunteers.

Cheema said that the Modi government wanted to torpedo the peasant movement before it reached any conclusive end, by converting the nine stadia in Delhi into temporary jails for the protesting farmers, but Kejriwal foiled the attempt by flatly refusing the proposal, and supported the cause of the farmers fighting the big battle for survival and sustenance and stood rock solid with their movement, following which the Modi government was daggers drawn with the Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

Cheema said that both the Congress and the Akali Dal had been acting as the “B” team of the ruling BJP and were trying to weaken the farmers’ movement, by siding with the corporate houses. The LoP further said that the Congress had given a proof of this by holding a separate rally at the Sambhu border on Monday, adding that the farmers had been sitting on “dharnas” at the Sambhu border for the last two months, questioning that where the captain was then.

However, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said that Kejriwal’s desperate attempts to hide his government’s utter failure to protect the famers’ interests will not save him from their wrath, nor will they safeguard his party from being decimated in the next Punjab Assembly elections.

“Just as every Punjabi knows that I am not one to be cowed down by any amount of false ED or other cases, they also know that you will sell your soul if it serves your purpose,” the Chief Minister said, in a resounding response to Kejriwal’s allegations and accusations against him (Captain Amarinder).

Daring his Delhi counterpart to cite even a single instance when he (Captain Amarinder) backed off under pressure of ED or any other agency, the Punjab Chief Minister pointed out that from Operation Bluestar to SYL and now to the farm laws issue, he had always done the right thing by his people, in sharp contrast to Kejriwal, whom the whole of Punjab had seen cringing in fear in the face of a minor defamation case and the whole of Delhi had seen begging the Centre for help amid the pandemic.

DO YOU HAVE NO SHAME: CAPT AMARINDER TO KEJRIWAL ON ‘EXPLOITING’ FARMERS’ PROTEST

December 14, 2020, 2:39 am

CHANDIGARH: Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday hit out at his Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal, saying that he was exploiting the ongoing agitation of the farmers to further his party’s electoral agenda in Punjab with “blatant lies and brazenly false propaganda”.

It was the Kejriwal government that notified one of the “black farm laws” on 23 November, at a time when farmers were preparing to march to Delhi to protest these very farm laws, said Captain Amarinder. And now they’re indulging in theatrics by announcing that they’d be sitting on fast in support of the farmers’ hunger strike on Monday, he quipped.

“Do you have no shame? At a time when our farmers are braving the winter cold on the roads outside your city, and many of them are dying fighting for their rights, all you can think of is how to make the most of the opportunity to promote your political interests,” the Chief Minister said, targeting Kejriwal. “Instead of doing anything constructive to help the protesting farmers, who are sitting outside his city for the past 17 days to seek justice, you and your party are busy playing politics,” Captain Amarinder added.

Reacting to AAP’s Punjab president Bhagwant Mann’s statement, the Punjab CM said he should verify facts of the power purchase situation in the state before speaking. Captain said that he was just a comedian who nobody ever took seriously. The CM said that the Punjab government had neither signed any agreement with Adani Power nor was even aware of the private players bidding for power purchase in the state.

Pointing out that Punjab had been purchasing additional power to support farmers during the sowing season for years, the Chief Minister said it was obvious that Kejriwal and his party neither knew, nor cared about what goes into sowing or what the needs of the farmers are. All they are concerned about is taking advantage of the plight of the farmers for their vested political interests, he added.

From backstabbing the farmers by implementing one of the farm laws, to trying to dump them in a corner of Delhi, Kejriwal had proved time and again that he was no friend of the farmers, said Captain Amarinder. He added that the Delhi CM’s latest attempt to drive a wedge between the Punjab government and the farmers would not succeed with the tactics adopted by AAP to spread misinformation in the state.

Not only has the Punjab government supported the farmers through the past three months of their agitation, it has even passed amendment Bills in the Vidhan Sabha to nullify the farm laws, he pointed out, challenging Kejriwal to cite even one example of any welfare measure taken by his government for the farmers.

The Punjab CM said that having failed to garner the farmers’ support despite his theatrics in Delhi and patently false claims of house arrest, Kejriwal had now turned attention to Punjab with an eye on the 2022 Assembly elections, which AAP had no hopes of winning.

Bharat Bandh underscores need for repeal of farm laws: Capt Amarinder

December 9, 2020, 3:01 am

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the unity showcased by the farmers through the Bharat Bandh had underscored the need for repeal of the new farm laws, followed by a detailed discussion on agricultural reforms.

The Chief Minister asked why the Centre could not heed the demands of the farmers, agitating across the country, to scrap these laws and hold fresh talks with all stakeholders. “Had I been in their place I would not have taken a minute to accept my mistake and revoke the laws,” he said.

Asserting that the whole country was with the farmers, Captain Amarinder said that the Centre should allow the existing system to continue instead of scrapping the arhtiya and mandi system, as the farm laws were designed to do. “Why are they doing away with it? They should let the farmers decide what they want,” he said, adding that nobody was stopping private players from purchasing but it could not be allowed at the cost of the well-established system which had stood the farmers in good stead all these decades.

The Chief Minister further demanded to know why the Government of India was not willing to give legitimacy to MSP, if their assertion of not abolishing it was sincere. “MSP is our right,” he said, adding that “if MSP is not guaranteed and another political party, apart from the Congress and the BJP, which is promising to conform with the support price, comes to power at the Centre, then who will take the responsibility of the farmers getting their minimum due?” He pointed out that the foodgrains bought at MSP were pushed into the PDS to feed the country’s poor and all that would end if MSP goes.

Categorically rejecting the BJP’s allegation that the Congress manifesto had also talked to scrapping the APMC Act, the Chief Minister said his party or Dr Manmohan Singh government never said that the existing system should be discontinued. The Congress manifesto spoke about modernisation and not about doing away with what we have, he said.

Making it clear that nobody was against private players, the Chief Minister pointed out that he was even now in talks with the UAE for supply for wheat and rice, and the country wanted to create storage facilities in India, including Punjab. In fact, even in his last tenure as CM, he tried to launch the farm-to-fork programme to promote private investment in agriculture related fields like storage, cold chain, food processing etc within the existing system but the Akalis later shelved it.

The Chief Minister appealed to the Centre not to write off Punjab’s agricultural prowess. “Crises will come with population growing, and next year is being predicted as a drought year… the country needs us, as we proved even during Covid times when we sent out 50 trains a day to feed the poor,” he noted, urging the Centre not to be short-sighted. “India’s food problems are not going to end… Let us be the producers of your food,” he added.

KEJRIWAL UNDER HOUSE ARREST, BJP IS ‘SCARED’ HE WILL TAKE TO STREETS: SISODIA

December 9, 2020, 2:59 am

CHANDIGARH: Asserting that the BJP is “scared” that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will take to the streets in favour of the farmers’ protest, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday alleged that Kejriwal has been put under house arrest.

Sisodia is holding a sit-in protest outside the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence alleging that Kejriwal has been put under house arrest. The Delhi Police, on the other hand, has refuted the claims and said there is no restriction on his movements.

“BJP is scared that the Chief Minister will take to the streets in favour of the Bharat Bandh called by the farmers and might speak for the farmers. The BJP is perplexed by the farmers and Arvind Kejriwal,” Deputy CM Sisodia told news agency ANI.

He alleged that the BJP is perplexed after Kejriwal went to meet the farmers at Singhu border. “He has been put under house arrest ever since he returned from Singhu border. His house has been barricaded and both entry and exit of people are not being allowed,” Sisodia said.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia speaks to police officials during a sit-in protest outside Chief Minister’s residence, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

“They do not say anything to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh because they are both colluding to call the farmers anti-nationals,” he added.

Opposition parties, including Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Shiv Sena and National Congress Party (NCP) also supported the call for ‘Bharat bandh’.

DELHI POLICE DENIES CM HOUSE ARREST CLAIMS

New Delhi: Minutes after the Aam Aadmi Party’s Twitter handle claimed on Tuesday that the Delhi Police has put Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest, the city police force officially denied the claim.

“This claim of CM Delhi being put on house arrest is incorrect. He exercises his right to free movement within the law of the land. A picture of the house entrance says it all,” Anto Alphonse, DCP North tweeted a picture of the CM residence to back the claim.

Earlier AAP tweeted: “Delhi Police has put Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest after he visited farmers at Singhu border yesterday.”Kejriwal on Monday visited the Singhu border, where thousands of farmers were protesting against the Centre’s new farm laws, and checked arrangements made for them by his government.