You don’t run a state with an iron fist, firing teargas shells: Hooda to Khattar

This comes a day after the Haryana Police used water cannons and fired teargas shells to prevent farmers from marching towards Kaimla village in Karnal, where Khattar was to address a “kisan mahapanchayat” to highlight “benefits” of the Centre’s three agriculture laws. The protesting farmers also vandalised the venue forcing Khattar to skip the programme. Khattar blamed the Congress, Communists and state Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh Chadhuni for inciting protests and misleading the farmers.

", "vars": { "eventCategory": "taboola", "event_name": "Taboola PV", "eventAction": "pageview", "placement": "Mid Article Personalisation 1x3" } } } }

“Rather than putting every blame on the opposition, the state government must realise what they are doing. It is high time they understood the sentiments of people and avoided confrontation with them. The state government must stop provoking people by calling them names. The more the government underestimates and ignores farmers’ legitimate demands, the more trouble they are inviting,” said Hooda.

On Khattar’s statement that the government would not repeal the farm laws, Hooda said the CM should not make such statements when talks are going on between the Centre and farmers unions to resolve the issue

The former chief minister said that instead of acting as Union government’s spokesperson, Khattar should behave as a representative of the state that he is leading. “Rather than firing teargas shells on people of Haryana, he should act as their representative, go to Delhi, sit with the Union government and assert that the three farm legislations must be withdrawn”.

Talking about protests at Kaimla village, Hooda said, “It is unprecedented that a chief minister has to go to his own constituency in such a heavy police cover…two ADGP-rank officers, a number of IGPs, at least five SPs and more than 1,500-2,000 policemen were deployed for a public gathering of barely 500-600 people. Who knows who were those people who were brought in for the so-called kisan mahapanchayat, while state’s police was busy firing teargas shells on the actual farmers who were trying to reach the venue? Is this the way a state is run? Farmers had been struggling in this cold weather, in times of Coronavirus pandemic for their legitimate rights. Their protest had been going on at Delhi’s borders in a totally peaceful manner. What is the need for the government to provoke them time and again by using force, by cane charge, water canons and firing teargas shells? I would again ask the Haryana government not to provoke farmers and rather help them in achieving their rightful goal”.

The senior Congress leader said the ongoing farmers’ struggle has exposed the true face of the BJP and JJP top leadership. “People of Haryana are fed up with this government and do not want to see their (BJP-JJP leaders’) faces in their villages. That is the reason, these BJP and JJP MLAs can not even enter their own villages,” Hooda said, adding that the two parties have lost confidence of people who elected them and several of their MLAs are on the verge of quitting.

Reiterating his request to Governor SN Arya for convening an emergency session of the Vidhan Sabha, the Leader of Opposition said, “Several MLAs from BJP and JJP are in touch. The days of this alliance are numbered and the fall of this government is imminent. The day Vidhan Sabha’s is convened, I will move a no confidence motion”.

Without naming Haryana’s former Leader of Opposition and INLD’s lone MLA Abhay Chautala, Hooda said those who have announced their resignation or are planning to, should not do so. “It will weaken the number of members in the House and rather help BJP in escaping the no confidence motion.”

He was referring to Abhay’s announcement of resigning from Vidhan Sabha if Centre fails to accept farmers’ demand by January 26.

On Khattar’s accusations that he and the Congress party orchestrated the protest at Kaimla village, Hooda said people in Karnal were not protesting against Congress but were protesting against the three farm legislations. “The government needs to shed the arrogance and see what people are showing them. If people of the state are angry over these farm legislations and do not want it to be implemented, it becomes the duty of chief minister to go to Delhi and ensure that farmers get what they had been demanding for nearly two months now,” he added.