Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday criticised the “method” adopted by Punjab farmers to press their demands, suggesting that they were attempting to march to Delhi like an army on the offensive.
“The Punjab government could have stopped farmers. If they did not stop, then there must be some understanding there and ‘Delhi wale’ say they are with the farmers’ movement,” Khattar said, in an apparent reference to the Aam Aadmi Party.
“It is not right to comment but their (farmers’) behaviour suggests that they have some kind of support,” he added while responding to a question on AAP’s involvement in the farmer’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ call.
Supporting farmers’ demand is one thing but favouring this kind of agitation “sends the wrong message”, the chief minister said.
Asked about the Punjab government objecting to the use of a drone for tear gas shelling in its territory, Khattar said that Punjab has not faced an agitation of this kind before, unlike Haryana.
He was referring to the farmers’ agitation in 2021 when farmers camped at Tikri and Singhu borders for a year to protest against the now-repealed farm laws.
The way they camped at the two border points for a year caused hardships to many people, Khattar said, adding “Even today, there are several videos of people appealing that they (farmers) should be stopped as their businesses will suffer.”
Khattar said the farmers are moving with tractor-trolleys, earth-movers and ration for a year — like an army.
“We have an objection to their method,” Khattar said on the farmers’ call for going to Delhi. “We do not have any objection to them going to Delhi. There are trains, buses and their own vehicles. But a tractor is not a mode of transport. It is an agricultural equipment,” he said.
“In such situations, we have to ensure the safety of people and them (farmers) as well,” he added.
Farmers from Punjab are camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points seeking to march towards Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands.
The farmer leaders have said they will not make any fresh attempt to move towards the national capital till the meeting with Union ministers is held, asserting that the next course of action will be decided on the basis of the Centre’s proposals.
Khattar said everybody has democratic right to visit the national capital. “But how to proceed, what is the motive? These things must be kept in mind.”
The matter should be resolved through dialogue, he said.
“But there is an idiom in Haryanvi, ‘main to na maanu’ (I won’t agree),” said Khattar, apparently referring to farmers “adamant” about marching to Delhi.
Replying to another question, Khattar urged Punjab farmers to see what the Haryana government is doing for its farmers and said half of their problems would be resolved if their AAP-led government, too, took those steps.
“Our farmers are satisfied. They should (Punjab farmers) get these things implemented from the Punjab government. We buy 14 crops on MSP,” he said, adding that only wheat and paddy are bought at an assured price in Punjab.
He also cited his government’s Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana — price difference payment scheme for many crops and steps taken to check stubble burning and land acquisition from farmers.
Asked about farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal allegedly saying in an interview that the graph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone up because of Ram Temple and it has to be brought down, Khattar said,”It is clearly a political statement.”
The chief minister said the farmers’ agitation was not provoking people to stop supporting Modi, rather garnering more support for him as all saw that this is “not a democratic” approach.
“A deputation of 30-50 people can go (to Delhi) but if farmers say they will take along thousands of tractors, what will be the scene then? What was the scene at the Red Fort last time? The country does not approve such things,” he said.
Khattar said maintaining law and order is the job of security agencies and FIRs must have been filed against whosoever violated the law.
To a question on Thursday’s meeting between three Union ministers and farmer leaders in Chandigarh, Khattar said he is hopeful that some way out will emerge.
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