‘You Changed Stance’: Deep Sidhu Says Unions Not Consulting People
Sidhu said the farm leaders are not standing by the show of strength and are singling him out.
Embroiled in controversy for allegedly instigating and provoking farmers to march to the Red Fort on 26 January, Punjabi celebrity-turned-activist Deep Sidhu on Thursday, 28 January, posted a video on Facebook, narrating the events that unfolded on Republic Day. He accused the farmer union leaders of taking decisions without consulting the people.
In the video, Sidhu said that he appealed to people for peace and asked them to follow the orders given by the union leaders, but they did not listen.
“They marched towards the Red Fort from all borders. I reached after the gate broke. I saw that a lot of protesters were already inside. There were thousands inside. I ran inside and I saw that there were no farmers. They dragged me saying that there were people, there was an empty flagpost and that they hoisted two flags – Nishan Sahib and a farmers' flag. And behind it was the Indian flag. No one said anything wrong. We didn't destroy anything...We didn't resort to violence. Our men didn’t do anything,” he said.
‘Farmer Leaders Not Standing With People’
Sidhu accused the farm leaders of not standing with their people and accusing him of betrayal by singling him out.
“Only if our farmer leaders had stood by what happened and said that see what our farmers have done...if you don't give them their rights, see what we can do. But our own people gave me a certificate of betraying them[sic.],” he said.
Responding to the leaders calling him an RSS man, Sidhu said that only a truthful person would be able to hoist a flag at the Red Fort.
“You're calling me a RSS man, a BJP man...Will an RSS man put the flag atop Red Fort? Think about it. Will a Congressman be able to do so? No. Only a pure and truthful person will do so. By calling one person a traitor, you are referring to the whole crowd,” he said.
‘Union Leaders Not Consulting People Before Taking Decisions’
In the video, he went on to say the farmers’ union leaders have been dictating the terms and not listening to the people, which it makes them no different than the government.
“You don't listen to anyone, you want everyone to do what you decide...and if that's the case, then there's no difference between you and the government. That's what the government does. If this carries on, then no youngster will stand with you. If you are calling them traitors, then the whole system will run as the government dictates. You should have stood by what we did.[sic.] We managed to open the eyes and ears of the political class,” he said
He further clarified that he hasn’t run away anywhere and is at the Singhu border.
The farmer leaders have accused Sidhu of being a ‘BJP man’ who was deliberately planted to derail the movement.
The tides turned against Sidhu after he claimed responsibility for hoisting the Nishan Sahib at the iconic Red Fort during the Tractor Rally on 26 January. Sidhu is believed to be close to actor and now BJP MP from Gurdaspur Sunny Deol, a proximity that the former has recently denied.
Pictures of Sidhu with PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are also being widely shared by people on social media to allege that he was indeed ‘planted’ by the BJP to derail the movement.
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