Haryana Min urges Punjab CM to call back protesting farmers; cites economic losses

Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal has responded to Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's provocation call to farmers asking them to take their farm laws protests to Haryana and Delhi instead of protesting in Punjab. Speaking on the relentless farmers' protests, Dalal accused Congress of misinforming the farmers and fueling the protests while he claimed that Congress will lose the Punjab assembly elections due to farmers agitation.

Speaking with Republic Media Network, Dalal called it a 'political agitation' while claiming that the protest in Haryana is sponsored by Congress and other parties to destabilise Haryana Government. He also said that the farmers' agitation has caused a heavy blow to many businesses in the region where the protests have been going on as the protestors have blocked the roads connecting states and other regions.

"All these Jathedars have been sent by Punjab Congress to destabilise Haryana Government. They are sitting on our borders and have destroyed all our businesses. We have a big industrial chunk of shoe manufacturing in Bahadurgarh which has been completely collapsed. We have many industries in Sonipat with around 100,000 workers, they have become jobless. Small scale farmers from Haryana who earned by selling milk and vegetables to Delhi, are forced to travel ten times more," he said.

Dalal stated that the protests are being organised despite the pro-farmer policies of the state government.

"I am unable to understand why it is happening in Haryana. Our farmer policies are best in the country. We are procuring maximum crops at MSP in comparison to Punjab or Rajasthan. Our cane prices are the highest in country for last seven years and no arrears are pending as the farmers are being paid on time," he said while also highlighting the pro-farmer schemes for micro-irrigation and crop diversification which are benefiting the farmers.

"Why are the Jathedars of Punjab destroying the economic activities of the state. They are not in any way in the interest of our farmers," he said while pointing out that earlier as well Congress had diverted the agitation towards Haryana and Delhi and fueled the protests against the farm laws.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who had supported the farmers' agitation had also claimed that the agitation is damaging Punjab's economy. To this, JP Dalal said, "those who dig pits for others are the ones to fall first in it". Dalal further said, "they (Punjab CM) were the ones to provoke the farmers to go to Delhi and Haryana borders to escalate the protest."

The Haryana Agriculture Minister requested Punjab CM to call back the protestors from Punjab and stop destroying the economy of Haryana.

Dalal said, "please pardon our state and call back all the Jathedars. Don't destroy our economy. You have already damaged our economy by not giving us our due share of water. 

He said people will not forgive Congress for fueling the protests further and not only damaging the economy of Punjab but also Haryana, Delhi and other states.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh provokes farmers

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday urged the protesting farmers to leave his state, and instead move towards Delhi, the national capital. Addressing a public gathering in the Hoshiarpur city of Punjab, Amarinder Singh claimed that the farmers were protesting at 113 sites in the state, 'despite the Congress-led Punjab government always supporting them'. The Chief Minister asserted that had the government not supported them, they would never have been able to reach the Delhi borders. Fuming at Punjab CM's diversion call, Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Badal slammed the CM for diverting protesting farmers to Delhi from Punjab.

Interestingly, Captain Amarinder Singh was a part of the Central panel, which played an important role in framing the farm laws. The BJP has slammed the Punjab CM on multiple occasions for fueling the protests while he had been a part of the committee framing the laws.

Farmers protest on the new farm laws

The Central Government has stayed the implementation of the farm laws for 18 months and urged the protesting farmers to hold clause by clause discussion of farm laws and elaborate on which clause the protestors have problems with. Refusing to hold a clause by clause discussion, the protestors have demanded the complete repeal of the new farm laws while claiming that the laws threaten the MSP mechanism. The Centre has even assured the farmers that the MSP mechanism will continue even after the implementation of farm laws and the government also procured the farmers produce in record quantities in the following period, however, the adamant protesting farmers have reiterated the demands of repealing of farm laws.

Moreover, political parties, including Congress, has also fearmongered that farmers' lands are at risk of being takeover by private sector entities with the new farm laws. However, the Centre has asserted that the new farm laws empower the farmers to sell to the private sector at better prices while having the option to sell in Mandis through the conventional medium. Also, the laws do not allow the corporate sector to enter contracts involving the sale or transfer of lands of the farmers, thus protecting the farmers' interest.

Image: PTI/ANI/@CAPT_AMARINDER TWITTER