Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, 30 November, announced that “all AAP volunteers, MLAs and leaders are serving the farmers sitting on protest on the borders of Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-UP.”
According to a press release by Kejriwal’s party, the chief minister said:
“I have directed the AAP volunteers to provide the farmers with food, water, medical facilities, toilets, and ensure that all the requirements of the farmers are fulfilled.”
Further, Kejriwal pointed out, in the press release:
“Our farmers are going through a lot of difficulty in this severe cold, I hope that the central government will soon talk to the farmers and resolve their issues.”
He also conveyed his congratulations on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti and said:
“The biggest message of Guru Nanak Ji has been only one – Manav Seva, which is to serve people with all your heart, soul, and body. That all our life should be committed to serving people. Today, the farmers of our nation are in distress, they are sitting on the borders of Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-UP, and are waiting for the central government to address their concerns for the last five-six days.”
BJP Attacks AAP, Alleges Opportunism
Meanwhile, Amit Malviya, head of BJP IT’s cells had earlier in the day hit out at CM Kejriwal, accusing his government of first notifying the central farm laws and then snatching the opportunity to “burn down Delhi” as “Khalistanis and Maoists” stepped in to oppose the laws.
Malviya, on Monday, tweeted:
“Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government has already notified the new Farm Laws on 23 November 2020 and had started implementing them. But now that the Khalistanis and Maoists have stepped in to oppose, he sees an opportunity to burn down Delhi. It was never about farmers. Just politics...”
AAP, according to NDTV, responded by saying:
“The notification by the Delhi government allows farmers to sell their crop anywhere, including outside the Mandi. Selling of fruits and vegetables was already deregulated in Delhi many years back. Now this holds for grains too. We have not dismantled mandis and they are continuing. Farmers are not against that. Farmers’ demand is that they should get MSP (Minimum Support Price) whether inside or outside the Mandi. We support that demand.”
Further, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said:
“If standing by the farmers in this time is politics, we are guilty of doing it. This matter can be solved in one minute by the Centre.”
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