Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 3

A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) walked out of the all-party meeting, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said the people of Punjab should not expect anything better from a party whose chief was, on record, touting the farm laws as the most revolutionary step in the agriculture sector in 70 years.

He said the act of walkout had not only shown the party in its true colours, but also bared their lie on Arvind Kejriwal’s video, which showed the Delhi CM narrating the benefits of the farm laws. Trashing AAP’s claim of the video being doctored, he said, “How can one believe them after their continued theatrics over the farm laws and the farmers’ agitation, including their walk-out from yesterday’s meeting?

Citing the alleged presence of AAP Punjab member Amrik Micky at the Red Fort during the violence of January 26, the Chief Minister said there was no doubt now that the party was hand in glove with the BJP in the conspiracy to destabilise and sabotage the farmers’ peaceful agitation.

“What have they done to help or support the farmers all these months?” Capt Amarinder asked, adding that the string of AAP actions in recent weeks clearly proved that their sympathies were not with the farmers but with the BJP and their crony capitalists. “Why else did the Kejriwal government in Delhi notify the implementation of one of the black farm laws in November last? Why else have they allowed the national capital’s roads to be dug up and the farmers’ protest sites barricaded like fortresses, instead of exercising their powers since the control of the city roads lies with the Delhi Government and not with the Centre?” asked the Chief Minister.

“It is ridiculous that a party which cannot stop its own property from being taken over in this shocking manner, in a state where it is in power, should walk out from a pro-farmer meeting in Punjab demanding that our police should go to their state, against all rules and laws,” Capt Amarinder said.

The Chief Minister also took a dig at Kejriwal for taking more than a week to release the list of farmers thrown into the Tihar jail.

Video doctored, delete it: Kejriwal

Reacting to a video being shared by CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s media adviser stating that the Delhi CM supports the central farm laws, AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said the party would take legal action in this regard. “This is a doctored video… If Captain Amarinder does not withdraw this video immediately and apologise, I will take legal action against him,” he said.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 3

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today virtually laid the foundation stone of Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, to be established at Hoshiarpur.

The project, spread over 12.75 acres in Bajwara village, will be executed at Rs 27 crore and will be completed by the year-end.

The institute would impart training to 270 candidates per year, as per an official statement. The land has been gifted by Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Education Trust and Society, headed by Member of Parliament Ambika Soni.

The Chief Minister said the institute would help the youth, who wish to join the armed forces. At a time, when women pilot officers were flying the Rafale and helicopters, and actively involved in every field of the armed forces, soon girls in India would be a part of the fighting forces like their counterparts in other countries, he said.

Capt Amarinder Singh lauded the role of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute at Mohali in training the youth to secure a permanent commission in the armed forces through the National Defence Academy or equivalent centres.

Referred to Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls at Mohali, which imparts training to girls after Class XII for a career as commissioned officers, he said the institute had so far trained 75 cadets, of whom seven had been selected in the defence services.

8 courses a year to train 270 youths

• The institute will train the aspirants for induction into Armed Forces, keeping the entry at graduate level for CDSE/AFCAT
• It will run three courses in a year of three months’ duration with intake capacity of 40 candidates, thus training 120 candidates in a year under its Entrance Exam Training Wing
• Under another Service Selection Board Training Wing, the institute will train those who have received call letters for appearing in Service Selection Board
• The institute will run five courses in a year, each of eight weeks’ duration with course strength of 30 candidates, to train 150 candidates in a year

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 3

Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa has called on both countries to resolve the long-standing issue of J & K in “a dignified and peaceful manner as per the people’s aspirations”.

“We stand firmly committed to the ideal of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence. It is time to extend a hand of peace in all directions. However, we will not allow anybody or any entity to misinterpret our desire for peace as a sign of weakness,’’ he said during a graduation ceremony at PAF Academy Asghar Khan in Risalpur, Pakistan.

Gen. Bajwa also commended fighter pilots who participated in an aerial skirmish with the Indian Air Force in early 2019.

The outstanding courage and professional excellence displayed by brave air warriors of Pakistan Air Force during Operation Swift Retort is a manifestation of our resolve and capability. The immaculate coordination and harmony displayed by all the three services in operations against the enemies of Pakistan has brought great improvement in the internal security environment,” he said, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 3 

Amid international support for the farmers’ movement, an interesting change is being reported in the agitation at Delhi borders against the three contentious farm laws that has completed 70 days in the running.

Attention is gradually shifting from Singhu and Tikri, where Punjab unions are camping, to Ghazipur where BKU (Tikait) leader Rakesh Tikait is holding the fort.

Also read: After Rihanna creates flutter over farmers tweet, Kangana calls her ‘fool’, farmers ‘terrorists’

Interestingly, while the status quo of Punjab union leaders is largely unchanged, Rakesh Tikait is fast emerging as the ‘star’ of the movement.

“Currently most of the focus is on him, which is an interesting development given that in the initial days of the movement, he (Rakesh Tikait) was nowhere in the picture,” says a BKU leader who did not wish to be named.

Also read: India blames fringe groups for global social media storm against farm laws

He also pointed towards how “Punjab unions had sidelined the BKU (Tikait) faction in the state in the initial days of the agitation”.

Also read: Withdraw farm laws, don’t make it prestige issue: Azad tells govt in Rajya Sabha

A section is also pointing towards the “shift in focus” from wheat and rice given that Western UP farmers mostly grow sugarcane.

“What sugarcane farmers do (with sugar mills) is also a form of contract farming,” said a farmer.

Also read: After Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and others make farmers’ protest global

This is a huge development in context of Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state and integral to election plans of any political party. The state, which goes to Assembly polls next year, sends as many as 80 Lok Sabha MPs to the Centre.

Also read: Delhi Police announce cash reward for info on Deep Sidhu, 3 more accused in R-Day violence

Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeep Sardesai move SC against FIRs over R-Day violence

Group of academics seeks repeal of farm laws

140 lawyers send petition to CJI, request him to take note of Internet ban at farmer protest sites

SC refuses to entertain PILs seeking probe by judicial inquiry panel into Republic Day violence

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Jind, February 3

The khap mahapanchayat here on Wednesday adopted five resolutions.

The mahapanchayat in the presence of farmer leaders Rakesh Tikait, Gurnam Singh Charuni and Balbir Singh Rajewal demanded repeal of the three laws, making a law to ensure minimum support price, waiving of the loan of the farmers, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and to withdrawal the criminal cases registered against the farmers in Delhi on January 26.

A large number of farmers gathered at the mahapanchayat hosted by the Sarv Jatiya Kandela khap near Jind.

Kandela village, located about 10 km from Jind, is the headquarters of the Kandela khap which has influence in about 20 adjoining villages. People from these villages have been providing logistic support and the manpower to the ongoing farmers’ stir near Delhi borders for over two months.

Following the emotional outburst by Tikait on Thursday, farmers from the region, including Kandela village, had rushed to the Ghazipur border after which the agitation got strong and the government authorities who are mulling to remove the farmers from the dharna site, had to retreat.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1356893183955791872

Tekram Kandela, pradhan of the Kandela khap, said the farmers from the village immediately started a tractor march to the Delhi border when the video of Tikait breaking into tears went viral on social media on January 28 as the government was planning to launch a crackdown on Tikait and other farmers sitting on dharna at Ghazipur.

Overwhelmed by the support from Haryana, Tikait called Tekram Kandela and decided to hold a meeting at Kandela village. The khap pradhan said they had invited all the khap panchayats of Haryana for the meeting and expected a huge turnout.

He said they had demarcated seven acres of land near the chabutara of Kandela khap in the village and made preparations for providing food and water to the participants.

Kandela village was also the centre of farmers’ agitation in 2002 against the then INLD government on the issue of power bills.

The stage on which the farmer leaders were sitting also collapsed, according to a report by news agency ANI.

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 3

Farmers’ stir dominated discussions on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with the BJP and Opposition clashing over the future of the new agriculture laws.

Also read:

• Edit: Time for firefighting

After the BJP’s lead speaker Bhubaneswar Kalita from Assam defended the legislations while cautioning the Opposition against turning the farmers’ agitation into another Shaheen Bagh, the Congress and Samajwadi Party urged the government to rescind the laws rather than stand on prestige.

Amit Shah briefs Prime Minister

Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the ongoing agitation and the law and order situation. Later, Shah tweeted, “No propaganda can deter India’s unity! No propaganda can stop India from attaining new heights!” Ministers Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani and celebrities Karan Johar, Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar also tweeted with hashtags “Indiatogether and “India against propaganda”.

The Motion of Thanks on President’s Address, which Kalita moved, saw 118 amendments by opposition MPs, including DMK’s Tiruchi Siva and Congress’ Digvijay Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda and KC Venugopal. The RS allocated 15 hours for the debate after the Opposition and the government agreed to extend it beyond the scheduled 10 hours to include time for discussion on farmers’ issues.

Kalita, former Congress chief whip in the RS, said the new laws would give new rights to farmers and doors were open for them to amicably resolve the issue. The BJP’s Vijaypal Singh Tomar, who seconded the motion, listed 12 expert committees that deliberated upon the farm reforms for two decades. Speaking in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tomar slammed the Opposition for “spreading misinformation” and said the new laws would empower small farmers and help their children become job providers.

Opening the debate from the other side, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad insisted on repeal of laws saying that the “government should not make it a prestige issue”.

“There can be nothing better than the PM himself announcing the decision to withdraw the laws,” said Azad, asking the Centre to form a committee to locate “people who had gone missing after the Republic Day violence”.

“We condemn what happened on January 26, particularly at the Red Fort but please ensure innocent farmer leaders are not implicated or the agitation will swell,” he warned.

Demanding farm law repeal, SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav cautioned the government against corporate monopoly over farm produce.

The Lok Sabha proceedings, meanwhile, were adjourned repeatedly on Wednesday as the protesting opposition members demanded a separate discussion on farm laws.

The House reassembled thrice, only to again adjourn till 5 pm, then 7 pm and later till 9 pm as the Opposition continued its protest despite repeated assurances by the Speaker that the members would get adequate opportunity to put forward their views.

New Delhi, February 4

Around 15 MPs from 10 opposition parties on Thursday reached the Ghazipur border to meet farmers protesting against new farm laws.

Farmers have been protesting at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders of Delgi for the past more than two months against the three new farm laws.

They say the new laws will leave them at the mercy of corporates whereas the government says they are for the benefit of farmers.Many rounds of talks between the Centre and farmers have not led to anything.

Opposition parties have been supporting the farmers’ cause. PTI

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 4

A day after several celebrities in the West spoke out against the stalemate between farmers and the Indian Government, the US State Department has weighed in by calling for observing human rights and rules of fair play while supporting the general trajectory of the three farm laws.

“We recognise that unhindered access to information, including the Internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of a thriving democracy,” said the US State Department in response to a question on the ongoing farmers’ protests in India while calling for differences to be resolved through dialogue.

“In general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment,” added Ned Price, the State Department spokesperson.

“We recognise that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same,” he emphasised.

The State Department has come into play after several politicians, including a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, backed demand by celebrities led by pop singer Rihanna for a resolution of the farmers’ agitation.

The tweets by some celebrities in the West, led to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issuing a statement that advised them to fully understand the intent of the farm laws before rushing to comment. However, with farm law oppositionists dominating the social media, the response went up a notch higher with several Indian celebrities, mainly cricketers, taking to the social media with common hashtags and near identical messages to preserve the country’s unity.

New Delhi says the three farm laws will give greater flexibility and freedom to sell farm produce but the protesting farmers claim they are heavily weighed in favour of the corporates.

The State Department as well as the celebrities have emphasised shutting the Internet services and police intimidation after a small group of farmers went off course during the January 26 Tractor March into Delhi and indulged in vandalism at the Red Fort. The Haryana government has since restored Internet services in parts of the state but not at the protest sites of Singhu and Tikri, on the border with Delhi.