'Summon me, not my officers': Punjab CM slams Governor amid destruction of Jio towers

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday hit out at Governor V. P. Singh Badnore for summoning the state DGP and Chief Secretary over the vandalism of Jio Network towers, calling the move 'a vicious game-plan of the BJP' to undermine the peaceful agitation of the farmers. Asking the Punjab Governor to summon him instead, Amarinder Singh said that the Governor should have taken up the matter directly with him as he was the custodian of the Home Portfolio. This comes days after Governor V P Singh Badnore summoned the state's chief secretary and DGP to seek a report on the damage of over 1,600 mobile towers during farmers’ protest in Punjab. 

“These damaged towers can be, and are being repaired, but what about the lives of the farmers lost in the bitter cold at the Delhi borders, where they continue to fight for their rights amid total apathy from the BJP-led government at the Centre?" said Amarinder Singh.

Read: Reliance Jio Writes To Punjab CM & DGP Seeking Action Against Vandalism Of Network Sites

Read: Damage To Mobile Towers: Punjab Governor To Summon CS, DGP

Drawing comparisons of the farmers who had lost their lives during the protest with the destruction of mobile towers, the Chief Minister also hit out at the BJP for 'slandering' the farmers with terms like 'Naxalites’ and 'Khalistanis'. “The lost lives cannot be recovered. At a time when the very existence of our farmers is at stake, the BJP leaders are busy indulging in petty politics and also dragging the Constitutional officer of the Governor into their unsavoury agenda,” he added.

Earlier Captain 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. Protesting farmers across Punjab have reportedly damaged several Reliance Jio towers, snapping connectivity. With growing incidents of cutting off power lines and the axing of towers, reports suggest that over a 1,561 towers have been vandalised by protesters in the state. 

Meanwhile, 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. 

Read: Punjab BJP Leaders To Meet Governor Over Law & Order Situation; Attack On Party Workers

Read: Over 1,500 Mobile Towers Targeted During Farmers' Stir In Punjab; CM Amarinder Singh Issues Stern Warning