Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann
Credit: PTI File photo
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday attacked the Centre, saying if the BJP-led government will not allow the protesting farmers camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border to enter Delhi then should he "send them to Lahore".
Farmers from Punjab, led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, began the 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13 to press the government to accept their demands which include that the Centre should give a legal guarantee for MSP for crops.
They were stopped by Haryana Police, who had set up barricades, including cemented blocks, on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway. The farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points ever since.
"At Khanauri and Shambhu, the border has been fortified with iron nails and barricading so that farmers cannot enter Delhi. The government runs from Delhi so they will go there. If they will not go to Delhi, should I send them to Lahore," Mann said while addressing a public meeting in poll-bound Haryana.
The Punjab CM said that even four years ago, the farmers were stopped from entering Delhi.
"As many as 726 farmers died during farmers' protest against now repealed farm laws when they were stopped earlier," he added.
Speaking at the event in Hisar's Barwala, Mann alleged that people of Haryana gave chance to different parties but they all looted the state.
"If a doctor is not able to cure an ailment then the doctor should be changed," the AAP leader said, adding that like Delhi and Punjab voters, people of Haryana should also "vote for 'badlav' (change) this time".
Mann touched upon several initiatives of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments in Punjab and Delhi.
In Punjab, 43,000 government jobs have been given purely on merit basis, the chief minister claimed.
"There have been paper leak incidents in Haryana but in Punjab, you will not hear such things," Mann added.
He said Punjab and Haryana are brothers. "We may have become separate states but our hearts are one," Mann said.
"We are giving 600 units of free electricity to everyone per billing cycle of two months in Punjab," he said.
Mann said the AAP government in Delhi has reformed government schools. "Children of poor families are cracking top competitive exams in Delhi now," he said.
"We have taken government to people's doorsteps to facilitate them and make their lives better," Mann said.
He urged the people of Haryana not to be carried away by the promises being made by the BJP and Congress.
"Earlier, they (BJP and Congress) used to rule by turns and people had no other option, but now they have an alternative in AAP," Mann said.
"BJP has been in power for 10 years, did they give you any job, did they undertake development," he asked while addressing the gathering.
"I am told if it rains for 1 minutes in Barwala, people have to take out boats, such is the situation," Mann said.
Attacking the BJP government at the Centre, he said during the Lok Sabha polls, the saffron party talked of "400 paar" but now they are running their government with the support of allies.
"Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal belongs to Haryana and he changed the direction of the country's politics. He had said BJP will change constitution if they get overwhelming majority. Thankfully, they did not get majority, otherwise they would have changed the constitution," Mann said.