Addressing a press conference after he cancelled his visit to Kaimla village near Karnal, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has blamed Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Chief, Gurnam Singh Chaduni for clashes which broke out in the village.
“If I have to hold someone responsible for this, then a video of Gurnam Singh Chaduni has been circulating since day before yesterday wherein he had tried to instigate people,” he said.
Khattar’s visit to Kaimla village for the Kisan Mahapanchayat was cancelled on Sunday, 10 January after protesting farmers were tear-gassed by the police, reported NDTV.
According to a report by NDTV, “Cellphone footage from the spot showed police firing tear gas shells, water cannons at farmers who are trying to enter the village.”
The chief minister’s visit to the village is a part of a massive outreach programme by the Central government to dispel ‘myths’ around the new farm reforms — introduced in September 2020 — which have led to massive protests in north India.
The programme, however, ran into trouble in Karnal as farmers hardened their stance, the NDTV report further mentioned. “The local protesters had clashed with the villagers and the local BJP workers, who are promoting the visit. The face-off started when the villagers didn't allow the farmers to enter the village to register their protest,” it said.
Further, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also took to Twitter to criticise the Haryana Police action against the protesters. Calling the chief minister’s visit an act of ‘event management’ he asked what was the point of stopping farmers from attending the mahapanchayat.
BJP-ruled Haryana had previously made headlines in November when the state police tried to stop the protesting farmers from reaching the national capital and then again last week when tear gas shells were used on protesters at the Delhi-Jaipur highway.
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