The Congress on Thursday demanded that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government convene a special session of Parliament for a “threadbare discussion” about the demands of protesting farmers from Punjab.
Sukhpal Khaira, chairman of the All India Kisan Congress, made the demand at a press conference in Delhi.
Khaira criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to condemn the death of a 21-year-old protestor named Shubhkaran Singh, who died of a head injury during alleged firing by the Haryana Police at the town of Khanauri on Wednesday.
“Is the Modi government trying to remind us about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by firing on farmers?” Khaira asked.
Khaira also urged the Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Punjab to convene special a state Assembly session on the issue. “Arvind Kejriwal must tell [Punjab Chief Minister] Bhagwant Mann to act strongly and defend the rights of the farmers of Punjab,” he said, asking why the Punjab government has failed to lodge a first information report in connection with Shubhkaran Singh’s death.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Wednesday alleged that the Centre was “solely responsible” for Singh’s death due to the Haryana Police’s action against protesting farmers. The Haryana Police dismissed the death as a rumour, despite the medical superintendent at the hospital where Singh died confirming that he had suffered bullet injuries.
The Haryana Police also fired rubber pellets and tear gas shells at the protestors. Last week, Punjab’s health minister had also alleged that three protestors lost their eyesight due to pellet injuries.
Protesting farmers have called for a march to Delhi to seek a law guaranteeing a minimum support price for agricultural commodities and the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission Report’s wider recommendations on farming in India.
However, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said later on Wednesday that the march to Delhi has been suspended for two days. “We will have discussions over the incident that took place in Khanauri,” he said. “We will clarify the entire situation later as to what our further movement will be.”
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