Arvind Kejriwal said he will observe a day-long fast today in response to a call given by farmers and appealed to the BJP-ruled Centre to shun ego and scrap the legislation.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, on the day the protesting farmers go on hunger strike for a day, said he will observe a day-long fast today in response to a call given by farmers and appealed to the BJP-ruled Centre to shun ego and scrap the legislation.
The chief minister, addressing a virtual press briefing on Sunday, asked the Centre bring a Bill to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce.
He will hold one-day fast on Monday in response to a call given by the agitating farmers, Kejriwal said. He also urged his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers, supporters, as well as the people of the country to join in.
“I want to appeal to the central government to put an end to their ego. The governments are formed by the public, the public is not formed by the governments. The three farm laws should be immediately repealed and a Bill should be brought to guarantee MSP to farmers,” the Delhi CM said.
The Centre should immediately accept all demands of the farmers who have been protesting on Delhi”s borders for the past two weeks, the AAP chief said.
He also expressed anguish that some central ministers and BJP leaders were labelling protesting farmers as “traitors and anti-nationals”.
“I want to ask them, if so many ex-servicemen, national and international sportspersons, singers and celebrities, lawyers and traders supporting and joining them, are all anti-national?” Mr Kejriwal questioned.
In Kejriwal’s stand over farmers’ issue, many see an opportunistic approach from the Delhi-based party to cash on the anguish of the farmers from Punjab, where it has 20 MLAs.
Kejriwal’s party had emerged as the runner up in the last Punjab assembly polls, even surpassing the seat count of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). AAP won 20 seats while the SAD managed to win 15 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party, whose prospects of growth beyond Delhi were doubted since the beginning, smelled an opportunity in Punjab after its last performance.
Farmers’ agitation, on the other hand, has also forced Kejriwal and his party to confront the centre, which their critics claim hasn’t happened in a long time.
Arvind Kejriwal, who is a product of a movement, understands how such movements can politically help people to reach from one stature to another. After spearheading India against corruption movement, and the BJP benefitting from the agitation to grab power in the centre, Kejriwal has learnt his lesson hard way on how to benefit politically from movements, without being the face of the movement.
Kejriwal, therefore, did not fail to compare the “defaming” of the farmers’ protest with Anna Hazare”s movement of which he was a top leader.
“I could not help but reminisce the days of Anna Hazare Ji”s movement. The Congress government defamed us as anti-nationals. What Congress did to our movement, the BJP is doing the same to the farmers protest,” Mr Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal’s not only trying to make farmers believe that he understands their issues and supports them but also nullifying the credibility of opposition party Congress, which he sees as the main challenger to his party in next Punjab assembly polls.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
