Punjab CM Amarinder Singh alleges BJP 'misusing governor's office for vested interest'

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday targeted the BJP Punjab leadership alleging that the Party is attempting to lower the prestige of the high gubernatorial office "by pulling the Constitutional authority into unsavoury controversies".

The chief minister reacted sharply to the BJP state unit’s tweet accusing him of trying to turn Punjab into another West Bengal. In a statement issued by the Punjab CMO, Singh alleged BJP has been trying to use the governor's office been trying to use the office of the Governor for its own vested interests.

“It has been happening in West Bengal, it happened in Maharashtra, and now they are trying to do the same in Punjab,” said Captain Amarinder.

The chief minister alleged the BJP is repeatedly attempting at the politicisation of the farmers' agitation and described the situation as shocking. He said the BJP is "shamelessly exploiting the situation and spreading a carnage of lies for furthering its political interests" while adding that BJP's intent was evident in its projection of the farmers' anger as a law and order situation in Punjab.

The politics over law and order situation arose when protesting farmers resorted to damaging mobile phone towers across the state with over 1500 towers damaged according to reports. Amarinder Singh had made several appeals to the farmers to refrain from damaging telecom infrastructure as such cases were growing in the state, putting the law-and-order at risk.

The chief minister had to urge the protestors not to take law and order in their hands, and when the appeal failed to reduce the incidents of tower destruction, the CM directed the authorities to take strict action against those responsible.

Reliance Jio Infocomm has written to Amarinder Singh and the Punjab DGP seeking their intervention into the "incidents of sabotage and vandalism of Jio Network sites” by unknown persons. 

The destruction of mobile phone towers affecting connectivity in the state happened as a result of the perception among farmers due to politicians' fearmongering that industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani benefit from the reforms. The agitating farmers also displayed banners calling for a boycott of Reliance Jio and other products.

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Seventh round of talks between Centre and protesting farmers

The protests on the Delhi borders continue unabated with the seventh round of deliberations to be held on Monday. A consensus was achieved between the two sides on two of the four agendas set by the farmers' unions in the sixth round of deliberations that was held on Wednesday. The seventh round of deliberations is likely to discuss the demand put forward by the farmers' unions i.e. complete withdrawal of farm laws and legalisation of MSP.

Amid the continued agitation against the farm laws, several farmers organizations have come out in larger numbers to express their support to the farm laws. Recently, farmers in Meerut organised an outreach program to highlight the benefits of the three farm laws. Moreover, farmers have also held tractor rally in Gautam Budh Nagar. In December, a crowd of 20,000 farmers from Meerut came out in support of the three agrarian laws. Farmers organisations had even met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to express their support to the farm laws with certain amendments in place.

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