Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday held an all-party meeting at Punjab Bhawan to discuss the farmers' protest against agricultural laws in light of the recent developments in the national capital.
The BJP, however, skipped the meeting.
A government statement issued on Sunday had mentioned that the meeting would be held at 11 am at Punjab Bhawan.
"This is not the time to stand on ego but to come together to save our state and our people," the CM told the parties.
As per the government statement, the meeting was for discussing the situation following recent developments in the ongoing farmers' protest in Delhi, especially in view of the Republic Day violence, "the Singhu border attack on farmers, and the massive vilification campaign against them."
Singh urged all parties to join the meeting in a spirit of unity, in support of the farmers, and in the interest of Punjab. He said the "crisis" triggered by the farm laws was a matter of concern for the entire state and its people.
"Only through collective efforts of all Punjabis, and all the political parties of the state, can the crisis be tackled effectively, and the farmers' interests protected," he said.
"Our farmers are dying out there at Delhi's borders for more than two months now. They are being beaten up by the police and assaulted by goons. They are being harassed by being deprived of basic amenities."
With a large number of farmers from Punjab at the receiving end of this battering, he added, it was imperative for all parties of the state to come together to form a cohesive strategy on the issue.
The CM expressed hope that all political parties in Punjab will put aside their differences to find a solution to the problem, which, he said, touches every Punjabi. Farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at Delhi's borders for over two months now, demanding scrapping of the farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops.
After briefly appearing to be fizzling out following the Republic Day violence in Delhi, the protest seems to be rebounding with more and more farmer groups heading to the national capital from various parts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
(With inputs from PTI)
