Even as he made it clear that there was no question ofsabotaging the farmers' agitation against the Farm Laws, which his owngovernment was vehemently opposed to, Punjab Chief Minister Captain AmarinderSingh on Saturday reiterated that no violation of the weekend lockdown andother restrictions in the state could be allowed at any cost, given the currentgrim situation.
“There are lives at stake, saving them is our priority,and it is the responsibility of every Punjabi to save them,” said the ChiefMinister, urging BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU (Ekta Dakaounda) leaders not togive a twist to his yesterday’s comments on the issue. Amid the call of theSanyukt Kisan Morcha to oppose the weekend lockdown, the Chief Minister had onFriday asked the DGP to strictly enforce all the weekend restrictions and notallow any violation at any cost. Nobody can be allowed to play with the livesof the people, he reiterated today.
Leaders of twoorganizations had misinterpreted his statement to raise doubts about his intentionstowards the ongoing farmers’ stir against the black Farm Laws, said the ChiefMinister. “How can my government goagainst the interests of the farmers when it was the first in the country tomove the amendment laws in the Vidhan Sabha to annul the draconian Farm Laws ofthe Central Government?” asked the Chief Minister, asserting that as far as thecentral laws were concerned, his government’s stand against them had been clear and consistent.
Noting that the situation in the state was extremely grim,the Chief Minister said that as of May 6, the state had a 24-hour caseload of8874, 154 deaths, 265 patients admitted in an isolation facility, 30 patients onHigh Dependency Unit and 16 onVentilator Support. “This is not the time to play politics but to put all ourenergies into protecting the life of every human being,” he said.
Appealing to the farmers to extend all support andcooperation to the State Government in its endeavor to combat the Covidcrisis, the Chief Minister said the lives and safety of the people of Punjabwere of paramount interest to his government. He reiterated that he would notallow anyone to further endanger the lives of Punjabis amid the escalatingCovid crisis.
The state government, said Captain Amarinder, had stoodwith the farmers in their fight against the draconian black farm laws by theCentre since the outset and continues to do so, as it strongly believes them tobe a direct threat to the very existence and livelihood of the farmers. But atthe moment, his government was completely focused on saving the lives of thepeople, while ensuring that they do not suffer due to the harsh measures, hesaid, pointing out that to alleviate the sufferings of the people, he had evenasked the DCs to allow the opening of even non-essential shops and private officeson a rotation basis.