Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab unit president Bhagwant Mann on Monday joined the party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other senior leaders and volunteers to observe a hunger strike in response to the nationwide protest call given by the farmers against the central farm laws at New Delhi.
At the same time, various party MLAs and local leaders took active part in the district level farmers’ protests in Punjab.
AAP’s senior leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema said that to send a strong message to the Union Government in support of the protesting farmers, party’s national convener, Bhagwant Mann, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh, along with all MLAs and Rajya Sabha members, went on a hunger strike in Delhi, whereas he (Cheema) himself sat on hunger strike, along with MLAs and other leaders in Chandigarh, in solidarity with the farmers.
The Deputy Leader of Opposition Sarabjit Kaur Manuke participated in farmers’ dharna at Ludhiana, MLA Prof Baljinder Kaur at Bathinda, MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan at Faridkot, MLA Principal Budhram at Mansa, and MLA Jai Krishan Singh Rouri at Hoshiarpur participated at district level farmers dharna with local leaders and volunteers.
“Both the Congress and the Akali Dal have been acting as the ‘B’ team of the ruling BJP and are trying to weaken the farmer movement, by siding with the corporate houses of Adanis and Ambanis,” said Cheema.
He said that the Congress had given a proof of this “by holding a separate rally at Shambhu border today. The farmers have been sitting on dharnas at Shambhu border for the last two months, where is the Captain then? AAP has been participating in the programs only in accordance with the action taken by the farmers’ organizations”.
Cheema said that AAP workers had been standing shoulder to shoulder with the struggling farmers in their agitation sans any political ambitions using no flags, banners or other party symbols, as true ‘sevadars’ of the farmers.
Taking a jibe at Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Cheema said that while the farmers of the country, including Punjab, were, on the one hand fighting their battle against corporate houses, on the other, he (Captain) went on to ink a power pact with them, which amounted to stabbing the farmers in their back.