Congress slams Mann govt over farmer leaders’ detention, calls it betrayal
Chandigarh: Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Thursday, lashed out at the Bhagwant Mann-led government, accusing it of deceiving farmers by detaining their leaders after the third round of talks with the Centre failed to yield results.
Expressing his outrage, Bajwa said, “Farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher were invited to Chandigarh for talks by the Mann government, but what we feared has happened.”
“I have been saying for a long time that AAP and BJP are two sides of the same coin. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government have made cheating their identity. They lured the farmer leaders into talks and then got them detained by the Punjab Police at the Chandigarh border. I strongly condemn this action on behalf of the Congress party.”
“Punjabis are not known for betrayal, but this government has set a new precedent. I had been warning farmer leaders that Bhagwant Mann has been working under the BJP’s instructions. I even said that he would become Punjab’s Eknath Shinde, and today, it has been proven,” the LoP said.
“Whether it is farmers, labourers, businessmen, youth, ex-servicemen, or soldiers — whenever people raise their demands, Bhagwant Mann betrays them,” he said.
Bajwa accused the Punjab Chief Minister of siding with the Centre, stating, “Bhagwant Mann has become an agent of the BJP-led government.”
The farmer leaders were detained after their meeting with the Centre, which failed to reach a conclusive resolution. They then moved towards the Shambhu border for further protests. However, as they proceeded, their convoy was intercepted by the Punjab Police in Mohali, where they were taken into custody.
Following this, the Punjab Police launched an operation to clear out protest sites at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points, where farmers have been demonstrating against farm laws and other issues. By 9:30 p.m., both sites were completely vacated.
Adding to the tension, internet services were shut down at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, while bulldozers were deployed to remove concrete barricades set up during the protests.