Punjab CM urges farmer union to stop protest; rejects charges of COVID mismanagement

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday urged the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) not to go ahead with their proposed dharna-- which according to him could turn into a super-spreader of the virus. He also rejected the allegations of the state government’s failure to effectively tackle the pandemic. The Chief Minister claimed that the state government has fought hard to prevent Punjab from facing the same situation as some of the other states such as Delhi, Maharashtra and even Uttar Pradesh (where bodies were found floating in the Ganga river).

Punjab CM urges Farmers to stop the protest

An event like the proposed 3-day dharna of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) in Patiala, had the potential to nullify the efforts made by his government in tackling COVID in the state, he said. Punjab CM urged the farmers’ union not to act irresponsibly and endanger the lives of their own people with such reckless behaviour amid the pandemic-- especially when there is a complete ban in the state on all gatherings as per the state's lockdown guidelines. Such dharnas would draw people mainly from the villages, which were in any case going through a crisis during the second wave of the pandemic, he highlighted.

Captain Amarinder said all these months the state government had extended support to the agitating farmers on the issue of the Centre’s black Farm Laws and the group’s action was also completely unjustified.

“It is time for the farmers now to reciprocate by supporting the state government in the fight against the pandemic. Just as the farmers’ interests were inexorably linked with that of Punjab, so was Punjab’s interest dependent on the farmers’ support to his government in the battle against COVID," he added.

CM Amarinder Singh rejects allegations on state govt’s failure to tackle the pandemic

Punjab CM claimed that even during the peak of the second COVID-19 surge in the state, things were under the government's control, unlike several other states. He stated that Punjab has been one of the best performing as far as the management of the pandemic was concerned and handled it better than other states.

• No widespread shortages of Oxygen in hospitals despite the shortfall in supply
• Availability of medications, beds etc had been continuously ramped up 

The only setback that was faced by Punjab was the shortage of vaccines, which happened due to the Centre's mismanagement, not the State government's. He added that the reason why Punjab was able to control the cases was the government's concerted efforts along with the medical fraternity, the police, the civil administration and the village panchayats.

COVID-19 Situation in Punjab

According to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Punjab on Sunday reported 2,267 new COVID-19 cases with 7,363 recoveries and 201 deaths. The total active cases of the state remain at 61,203 with 4,59,681 total recoveries and 13,089 deaths.

(Image Credits: PTI/PIXABAY)