Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has alleged that the farmers, who are protesting against the Centre's three farm laws, have given a political twist to his appeal to call off protests in the state over his "spare Punjab and protest in Delhi and Haryana" remark.
"It's unfortunate that farmers protesting against the Centre's three farm laws have given a political twist to my appeal to call off protests in Punjab," the Chief Minister's Office quoted Captain Amarinder Singh as saying.
This comes after Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij and Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal slammed Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over his "spare Punjab and protest in Delhi and Haryana" remark.
Vij called the remark 'irresponsible' and said that it proves that Singh instigated the farmers.
Taking to Twitter Vij said, "Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ji telling farmers to do whatever they want in Haryana or Delhi and don't do it in Punjab is a very irresponsible statement. This proves that Amarinder Singh has done the work of instigating the farmers."
Vij, in a statement, said, "The statement was very irresponsible. It means that you (Amarinder Singh) want to disrupt the peace of your neighbouring states of Haryana and Delhi.
"It also means that he is the one who instigated them (farmers). His statement also proves that the farmers' protest is a protest sponsored by Amarinder Singh," he added.
Meanwhile, JP Dalal claimed that the farmers' agitation was politically motivated and aimed at creating disturbance in the state.
Reacting to the Chief Minister's plea to farmers to shift out of Punjab, Dalal said that Congress is reaping what it sowed.
"The way they sent their people to agitate in Haryana, the same is being done to them in Punjab by some Congress-opposing parties," he stated.
Citing Singh's statement of lending support to farmers in their protests against the three farm laws introduced by the Centre, the minister said that the agitation was funded by parties like Congress for their own interests.
"I did not expect this from Captain Amarinder Singh who is a soldier himself. The statements made by him are not in the country's interests," he said.
Earlier on Monday, Amarinder Singh urged the farmers to spare Punjab from their protests against the three central farm laws and advised them to shift their sit-in venues to Delhi borders or in Haryana.
Singh made the appeal to farmers arguing that their ongoing agitation at 113 places in Punjab was hampering the state's economic development and asked them to mount pressure at the Centre from Delhi borders instead.
"I want to tell farmer brothers that it is your Punjab, your villages, your people. You do whatever you want to do at Delhi (border), put pressure on them (Centre) and make them agree," Singh said.
"Do you know farmers are also sitting at 113 places in Punjab? What will be the gain out of it? Punjab will suffer financially. They are doing it at Delhi (borders) and in Haryana. You do it there," Singh told the farmers.
There is no use sitting at 113 places in Punjab and weakening its financial position," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
