Punjab CM slams assault of BJP MLA over farm laws

Strongly condemning the attack on BJP MLA from Abohar, Arun Narang, allegedly by angry farmers protesting against the Centre's farm laws, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday warned of strict action against anyone trying to disturb the state's peace by taking the law into their hands.

Even as he urged the farmers not to indulge in such acts of violence, the Chief Minister appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urgently resolve the crisis triggered by the farm laws to prevent the situation from escalating further.

The Chief Minister also directed DGP Dinkar Gupta to take strict action, under the law, against the perpetrators, who also clashed with the police personnel who tried to rescue the MLA.

Gurmail Singh, SP Headquarters, Faridkot, was, in fact, injured while trying to save and evacuate the MLA from the protesting crowd.

He also suffered a lathi blow on his head, causing his turban to fall off. He was admitted in Civil Hospital, Malout, where the incident took place.

The DGP later said a criminal cases will be registered against the suspects who assaulted the MLA and police officers.

He said statements of local BJP leaders were being recorded and relevant sections of law would be imposed on its basis.

With the simmering tensions between the Centre, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the farmers, who have been fighting for their rights for the past four months, intensifying, a number of incidents of protests against BJP leaders were reported from different parts of Punjab today.

The Chief Minister said while protesting is the democratic right of the farmers, violence of any sorts would not be tolerated, and the law and order situation in the state would not be allowed to be disturbed at any cost.

He said barring the assault on the BJP MLA, other BJP leaders were safely evacuated from the protest sites.

Seeking the Prime Minister's immediate intervention to resolve the tensions, the Chief Minister said any further delay on the part of the Central government would trigger further unrest among the agitating farmers.

Coupled with the increased threat from across the border from Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits, who were already trying to exploit the situation, this could pose a serious security threat to Punjab, and resultantly the entire nation, he warned.

He again reiterated the need for the Centre not to stand on ego but to immediately revoke the farm laws and sit across the table with the farmers to work out new legislations based on their inputs and feedback.

The farmers, he pointed out, had been out on the roads for four months now, and with no sign of the Central government being willing to step back, the anger among the farmers was growing.

Reacting to the demand of Punjab BJP leaders for his resignation over the issue, the Chief Minister said instead of trying to take political mileage from today's incident, they should pressurise their Central leadership to withdraw the controversial legislations.

They should apprise the BJP Central leadership of the genuine anger among the farmers, which the government of India has been brushing off as the handiwork of the Congress in Punjab, he added.