Following a confrontation between protesting farmers and police at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border, Congress leader Sachin Pilot criticized the Centre’s response on Monday, stating that the use of lathi charges and tear gas against farmers sends the wrong message.
Speaking to media, Pilot said, “Lathi-charge and use of tear gas against farmers is not right. This behaviour by the (Central) government doesn’t send the right message. You call them terrorists, register cases against them, and don’t want to talk to them — this has been the government’s approach. We are seeing it yet again.”
Punjab Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring pointed out that farmers are simply asking for a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP). “All that the farmers are asking for is – a legal guarantee on MSP. But the Centre’s behaviour is not right, resorting to lathi-charge against farmers and not letting them go to Delhi…Our leader Rahul Gandhi has also raised the matter of legal guarantee on MSP. If we get a chance, we will raise this issue during Zero Hour or Question Hour in Parliament,” he said.
Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Pratap Singh Bajwa, expressed their lack of hope for the Centre, stating, “Everyone knows that the Central government’s policies are pro-corporate and anti-farmer. We have no hopes and expectations from it (Central government).”
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan called on the Central government to engage with the farmers: “The Central government should come forward and talk to farmers.”
Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad emphasized that India’s progress depends on the well-being of its farmers: “India is a country of farmers. Unless the farmers are happy, the country cannot progress… Farmers wanted to come to Delhi with their genuine demands, but they were stopped… I’m afraid that’s not right… Samajwadi Party raised the issue of farmers in Parliament, but the government does not want to listen.”
At the Shambhu border, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher shared plans to visit the farmers injured during the protest: “The hunger strike is going on at the Khanauri border. We will meet Jagjit Singh Dallewal and the forum there. Before going to Khanauri, we will visit the farmers in Patiala.”
Meanwhile, Punjab and Haryana police held discussions with farmer leaders in Rajpura on Sunday to address concerns related to the ongoing protest. Farmer leaders had previously called off the ‘Jatha’ — a group of 101 farmers — after more than eight farmers were injured.
Tensions at the Shambhu border escalated when police used tear gas to prevent farmers from marching to Delhi. Sarwan Singh Pandher had earlier accused the Punjab government of siding with the central government to suppress the protest. Opposition leaders have criticized the government’s handling of the situation, emphasizing the difficulties faced by farmers, including fertilizer shortages and the unresolved MSP demand.