'Fear of annihilation', says Punjab CM on BJP's request for postponement of Civic polls

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday lashed out at Punjab BJP President Ashwani Sharma and alleged that the latter is spreading false propaganda on the law and order situation of the state to further his party’s political agenda.

The Punjab chief minister said that Ashwani Sharma is attempting to false project the law and order situation in the state with the fear of "complete annihilation in the upcoming civic polls."

This allegation comes after the BJP requested Governor V P Singh Badnore to postpone the civic polls on the grounds of deteriorating law and order situation.

Speaking with media after dedicating the Chandigarh-Kharar elevated corridor to citizens, Amarinder Singh said that BJP's request to the governor showed that the party leadership was in a complete panic at the prospect of facing the elections at a time when the people of Punjab are furious over the three agrarian laws.

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Dismissing BJP's claim of law and order collapse in the state in the wake of the mobile network disruption by damaging the mobile towers, the chief minister said that only minor incidents have been reported on Thursday and that the damaged towers have been repaired.

According to reports, over 1,500 mobile phone towers were damaged by the miscreants in the wake of the farmers' agitation against the three farm laws, compelling the chief minister to direct the authorities to take strict action against those responsible for the damages.

The chief minister lambasted the BJP for introducing the farm laws and stated that his government brought state laws negating the farm laws.

"Are we responsible for the farmers’ angst against the BJP? We were not the ones who enacted the Farm Laws, it was the BJP-led central government. We, in fact, negated them by passing the amendment Bills in the Assembly," he said in a statement released by Punjab CMO.

Congress U-Turn on the farm laws

However, Congress in its 2019 election manifesto had promised the farm laws if elected to power, moreover, Congress leaders on multiple occasions in the past had spoken in favour of same policies which have been enacted in the farm laws. Moreover, BJP's BL Santhosh has also shared a document by the Punjab CM, in which the latter has backed the farm laws. Also, Union Minister Rao Saheb Danve had said that Amarinder Singh was a part of the committee which studied the draft legislation of the farm ordinances which have been enacted after the passage in both houses of parliament. Danve had stated that Amarinder Singh was in favour of the bills then. Meanwhile, the Centre and the protesting farm Unions have had consensus on two of the four-point issues on which the deliberations held on December 30 while the next round of deliberations has been scheduled on January 4.

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