Suggests observing it as ‘Betrayal Day’ also
CHANDIGARH, 17 NOVEMBER: Punjab Congress today extended its complete support to farmers for ‘Victory Day’ celebrations scheduled on November 19, to mark the completion of one year of the withdrawal of three controversial central farm laws.
The party suggested that along with the ‘Victory Day’ celebrations, the farmers should also observe it as a “Betrayal Day” as the BJP government at the centre had betrayed the farmers and completely backed out of all the commitments it had made to them before they lifted their dharna.
“While November 19 will always be remembered as a day of victory, sadly, it has turned out to be a day of betrayal as well as the BJP government has completely betrayed the farmers”, PCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said in a statement here today.
He announced that like always, the Congress party will continue to support and stand by the farmers till the promises made by the government of India a year ago are not fulfilled. “We will not let them back out, come what may”, he asserted.
He questioned the silence of the Aam Aadmi Party government on the issue. He pointed out, the AAP was in power in Punjab for eight months but it had never raised the matter with the government of India during this period.
“It is the duty and responsibility of the Punjab government since it represents a predominantly agrarian state, to watch the interests of farmers but sadly it has failed miserably”, he said, while pointing out, it did not even write a single letter to the central government to fulfill the commitments made to the farmers when they lifted their dharna from the outskirts of Delhi.
PCC president pointed out, unlike the AAP government in Delhi which was the first to implement the three farm laws, it was because of the unambiguous and extensive support by the Congress government in Punjab that the farmers were able to strengthen their agitation and reach Delhi borders to pressurize the union government to withdraw the controversial laws. Without the then Congress government in Punjab, it would not have been possible, he observed.
Warring assured that the Congress party and its workers will support the ‘Victory Day’ celebrations with the same spirit, same sentiment and same vigour and if and whenever the need be, will join the farmers to get all their demands fulfilled.