Kejriwal again questions Centre over Lakhimpur Kheri incident
Darpan News Desk IANS, 26 Nov, 2021 11:59 AM
New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) Had the Supreme Court not intervened, the perpetrators of Lakhmipur Kheri violence would not have even been arrested, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said during the special single-day Assembly session on Friday.
"The farmers of the country had to face such difficult times at the hands of their own elected government after the latter passed the three farm laws without their consent. Those in power used every measure to suppress the protesting farmers. They hurled abuses at them, called them anti-national, Khalistani, and agenst of Pakistan and China.
"They did not even spare our farmers' lives, and an SUV even ran over the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri. If not for the Supreme Court, the perpetrators of the heinous crime would not have arrested till now," Kejriwal said on the floor of the House.
"I still do not understand what is the reason behind the Centre shielding those who crushed the farmers under their car," he added.
Congratulating the farmers and referring to the 1907 Punjab unrest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said, "This is probably the longest struggle against injustice that has took place in the history of humanity. Before 2020, Indian farmers had led a similar struggle against the then British government. It continued for eight months, while the present protest against one's own government has surpassed even that duration and is continued for 12 months now. I want to congratulate the farmers for peacefully winning this battle. It is a victory of democracy."
He further congratulated the farmers of Punjab for leading the protest, and the women for standing alongside the men in all circumstances.
Drawing parallel to the 2011 anti-corruption movement that paved way for his entry into politics, Kejriwal said, "When we received information that farmers from Punjab and Haryana are marching towards Delhi, the Centre wanted us to turn the stadia into jails, but we did not listen to them as we knew that if the protest was allowed inside the stadis, it will die down. Delhi government did its best to help the farmers in every possible way, be it in terms of arrangements or supporting them."
Taking a dig at BJP, Kejriwal said, "Since the day the BJP came to power, it has tried to stifle everyone. Even their party members agree with us on this. They too are pained by all this. However, they have been ordered from above that the level of post they will be assigned will depend on how louder they can shout."
"BJP is a such a shameless party that when the Centre introduced the three farm laws in the Parliament, it called it a 'masterstroke'. And when they announced to repeal them, even then they hailed the move as 'masterstroke'," he added.
The world's largest vaccination drive against Covid-19 is being conducted in India, "and it will be a special occasion to celebrate when we complete administering 100 crore doses of vaccines", said the source.
Bhartiya Kisan Union Tikait district vice president Balkar Singh had already made it clear that, "No political leader will be allowed to share the stage where only Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders will be present."
The incident took place on Tuesday during a demonstration by the BJP in front of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's official residence over the Delhi Disaster Management Authority's (DDMA) order restricting celebration of Chhath Puja in the national capital.
The minister and his son are accused in the October 3 incident in which nine persons, including four farmers, were mowed down by SUVs. The minister's son Ashish Mishra has already been arrested.
It's likely that Sidhu will put forth the list of demands in the Punjab government as he is upset with the appointments in the government. He has resigned from the post of state president, but it has not been accepted yet by Sonia Gandhi. The meeting gains significance as it comes ahead of the CWC meeting.
The civil secretariat houses the top offices of the government, including those of the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and his advisors. Police tried to intervene to restrain the mourners from carrying out the sit-in outside the civil secretariat.
