Punjab CM Captain Amarinder's appeal to farmers to not disrupt telecom services fails

Amit the ongoing farmers' stir over Centre's 3 contentious farm bills, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's appeal to protesting farmers to not damage telecom infrastructure seems to have failed. According to PTI sources, more than 176 signal transmitting sites have been vandalised in the last 24 hours. PTI quoted sources and also stated that as many as 176 towers have been damaged since Saturday. The total number of telecom towers which have been damaged so far is 1,4111.

READ | Capt. Amarinder Singh Asks Farmers Not To Disrupt State's Telecom Services

Punjab CM's appeal to farmers fail

As per PTI, the farmers have been damaging the telecom towers due to the corporatisation of agriculture sector. Earlier on Friday, Amarinder Singh had appealed farmers to not cause inconvenience to the general public with such action. He also said that the farmers should continue to exercise the same restraint as they had shown over the past several months of their agitation. 

The statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) read, "Pointing out that telecom connectivity had become even more critical for people amid the Covid pandemic, the chief minister urged the farmers to show the same discipline and sense of responsibility which they had been exercising during their protest at the Delhi border, which has completed one month, and also earlier during their agitation in the state."

READ | Farmers' Stir: TMC To Organize Protests In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee To Join On Dec 10

Urging the farmers to not take the law and order in their hands by forcibly shutting down telecom connectivity or manhandling employees/ technicians of telecom service providers, the Chief Minister said, "forceful disruption of telecom services due to snapping of power supply to mobile towers by farmers in several parts of the state was not only adversely affecting the studies and future prospects of students, who are dependent entirely on online education, but also hampering the daily life of people working from home due to the pandemic."

READ | Farmers' Stir: Tomar Says Hopeful Of Protesting Unions Resuming Talks With Govt Soon

Old video of CM Amarinder Singh goes viral

Meanwhile, amid Congress accusing BJP of working in tandem with the corporates, an old video of the interaction of Captain Amarinder Singh with Mukesh Ambani has gone viral. This video dates back to 2017 when the Chief Minister had met Mukesh Ambani to discuss various investment and industrial development opportunities in Punjab. 

Moreover, BJP's BL Santhosh had also shared a document by Captain Amarinder Singh, in which he had backed the farm laws. The document is a report of a task force formed by Captain and dates back to September 2020. Santhosh who is the National General Secretary of the BJP has termed it as another 'U-turn' by Congress, adding that the Punjab CM is in competition with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for all 'wrong reasons'. 

READ | 2020 Highlights: Janta Curfew To Galwan Clash & Bihar Polls To Farmer Stir, Here's A Recap

(With PTI inputs)