Mamata Banerjee again took shots at the central government with regards to the recent Republic Day violence in the capital and at the Red Fort.  It is worthwhile to note that fringe elements were identified, who had joined to taint the protests. Deep Sidhu, a BJP worker, and an actor, had been spotted by various people and has been blamed by farmer unions and parties like AAP, for the fracas created with regards to Tricolour during the R-Day tractor-rally.

Comments by Mamata Banerjee

Taking a fresh jibe at Union home minister Amit Shah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that had the Republic Day violence taken place in Bengal, Centre would have sought an explanation. “Police could not tackle the situation in Delhi. If it would have been in Bengal then Amit bhaiya would have said, “kya hua?” We strongly condemn it. We want these three laws to be repealed. Either you withdraw the laws or leave the chair,” the chief minister said at the Assembly on Thursday.

Also See: Overview of the Farmers’ unions in the protests

The TMC chief attacked the Modi government on bringing the three contentious farm laws without any prior deliberations in a parliament without any question hour. She blamed the party at the Centre for the unfortunate incidents that took place on the 72nd Republic Day of the country as well as for mishandling the situation. First tackle Delhi, then think of Bengal, Mamata said to Modi-Shah government eyeing for seats in the upcoming assembly elections in Bengal.

“We are with farmers and we want the withdrawal of these laws. The farm laws have been passed forcibly. Modi Govt has badly handled the situation in Delhi and BJP is responsible for what had happened there. First tackle Delhi, then think of Bengal,” Banerjee said.

During the two-day assembly session, the TMC was scheduled to table a resolution under Rule 169, opposing the farm laws brought in by the Centre and demand its immediate repeal, as reported by PTI.

Also See: An overview of Farmers’ protests-role of Charan Singh

Five non-BJP states, including Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Delhi, have passed the resolution against the Centre’s farm laws so far.

Reaction from AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday alleged that the BJP planted its “stooge” actor Deep Sidhu to create “chaos” in farmers’ tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day.

The tractor parade on Tuesday that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the three new agriculture laws descended into anarchy as tens of thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with police, overturned vehicles, and hoisted a religious flag (Nishan-Shahi) from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort. Clashes broke out in multiple places, leading to violence in well-known landmarks of Delhi and its suburbs, amid waves of violence that ebbed and flowed through the Republic Day.

Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu has been blamed by the farmer union leaders and politicians for inciting violence during the tractor rally. At a press conference, AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, while questioning the connection between Sidhu and BJP, showed several photos purportedly of the actor with various BJP leaders. “The BJP planted their stooge Deep Sidhu to create chaos in farmers’ tractor parade,” Mr. Chadha said.

Sidhu was among protesters at the Red Fort where flags were put up. He was an aide of Sunny Deol when the latter contested from the Gurdaspur seat in Punjab during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Deol, who is now a BJP MP, had distanced himself from Sidhu in December last year after he joined the farmers’ agitation.

The farmers have been protesting for past many months against the three laws- Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The protests turned violent after an unexpected turn of events during the farmers’ tractor-rally in Delhi on Republic Day, which even resulted in the death of a person.

(Source: PTI)