Bittu Slams Punjab CM Mann Over Detention of Protesting Farmers

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu criticized Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday for detaining protesting farmers at the Shambhu border. These detentions happened while farmers were trying to talk with the central government about their concerns. Bittu, who is a Cabinet member in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, accused Mann of following orders from Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal.

“They only listen to Kejriwal and not the people of Punjab,” Bittu said. He warned that people in Punjab would not allow Mann to enter any village after the way he treated the farmers.

Bittu also claimed that the Mann government does not want the talks with farmers to succeed. He spoke with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was surprised to hear about the police actions against farmers, especially since they had made positive progress in their discussions.

“I strongly condemn this action by the Punjab government. The people voted for you, and Bhagwant Mann should feel ashamed. The AAP government does not want to find a solution and detained farmers just for the Ludhiana West by-election,” Bittu added.

The Congress party and the Shiromani Akali Dal party also criticized Mann because of the detentions. Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said Punjab is facing “tragic times.” He suggested that there was a meeting between Mann and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the farming community is being unfairly targeted.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Deputy Chief Minister and leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal, accused Mann’s government of ignoring farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP). He expressed his anger on Facebook, demanding the immediate release of arrested farmers and that their needs be met.

Several farmer leaders were detained, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike, and Sarvan Singh Pandher, a leader with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. Following their detention, Dallewal was taken to a medical facility in Jalandhar.