Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesdayslammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over their walk-out from the all-partymeeting minutes before the Resolution in support of the agitating farmers wasto be passed, saying this had once again exposed the double standards of ArvindKejriwal’s party, which continued to put its vested political interests abovethose of the farmers.
AAP members at the meeting had walked out in protestagainst the Chief Minister’s refusal to accept their “senseless and patentlyillegal” demand for deployment of Punjab Police personnel to provide securityto the state’s farmers agitating at Delhi borders.
“After pretending for nearly 4 hours that they were onewith the rest of Punjab in supporting the farmers in their hour of crisis, theAAP members walked out over a demand which no state government can accept,”pointed out the Chief Minister, adding that “clearly, they had no intention,from the outset, of supporting the state and its farmers, which explains theirconvenient walkout minutes before the resolution was to be voted on.”
Terming AAP’s actions as part of a well-planned strategy,the Chief Minister said, “How is it possible that a party with pretensions ofbeing a national outfit not know that no state police cannot simply barge intoanother state?” “How can a party that claims to be pro-farmer walk out of acrucial meeting called to evolve a consensus on a critical issue relating tothe farmers, over a patently unlawful demand? How can they not support a jointinitiative by all parties, which was in the interests of Punjab, if they reallycare for the state and its people,” he asked.
AAP cares neither for the farmers, nor for Punjab, as theiractions have repeatedly shown, said Captain Amarinder, adding that by refusingto rise above petty politics on such a serious and sensitive issue, the partyhad once again exposed itself as nothing but a stooge of the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP). The two parties have been colluding all along to sabotage thefarmers’ agitation, he alleged, pointing to the fact that members of both BJPand AAP had been caught on camera inciting violence at Red Fort on RepublicDay.
“Their walk-out proves that AAP is clearly a part of theconspiracy of the ruling BJP to harm the interests of the farmers, who arebeing victimised, beaten, harassed and treated the enemies of the state at theborders of the national capital, which Kejriwal’s party is in charge of,” saidthe Chief Minister.
Captain Amarinder noted that this was not the first timeAAP had resorted to such doublespeak on the issue of the Farm Laws in Punjab.“They had backed off even earlier, after supporting the State Amendment Billsin the Vidhan Sabha,” he pointed out, adding that at that time too, AAP leadershad said one thing in the House and another outside.
“Don’t you have any shame?” the Chief Minister asked AAPleadership, adding that their disgraceful behaviour today had sealed theparty’s fate in Punjab once and for all. “You will not find the place to hideyour faces if the people of Punjab decide to give you a taste of your ownshameful antics,” he warned.