Amidst incidents of alleged attacks on BJP leaders and disruptions of its events in Punjab, senior BJP leader and former MP Avinash Rai Khanna on Monday blamed it on the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress Government in the state pointing that maintaining law and order in the state is its responsibility.
Notably, the agitating farmers had allegedly disrupted events organized by the state BJP unit at several places in Punjab to observe the birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with alleged incidents of farmers ransacking a makeshift venue in Bathinda, gheraoing party leaders, reported.
Moreover, a few weeks back, Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma’s car was also allegedly attacked by a group of farmers in Hoshiarpur.
“I do not hold the agitated farmers responsible for the attack,” said Khanna, asserting that the State Government failed to maintain law and order.
“It (the attack) is the government's failure as law and order is a state subject,” said, Khanna, who is also the in-charge of the party's affairs in Himachal Pradesh, while talking with the media at Shimla.
On Akali Dal’s decision to sever ties with the saffron party over the recent farm laws in Punjab, Khanna said that BJP workers had been demanding for long that it contest election in the State on its own. “BJP would now contest the upcoming coming elections on all the 117 assembly as well as 13 Lok Sabha seats, which would give the party an opportunity to expand its base in Punjab,” he added.
At the same time, Khanna maintained that the Central Government had not taken the farmers’ agitation lightly and that was why it held several meetings with the agitated farmers.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself stated six times that the minimum support price (MSP) would not be withdrawn, but the farmers are being misled,” he said.
Khanna said that be it erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee or the current Narendra Modi government, the BJP Government has brought several schemes for the benefit of the farmers.
Earlier Kisan credit card, soil health card, and kisan nidhi were introduced; and now, the Modi Government has brought the three farm laws for the benefits of the farmers, he said.