Expressing concern over the continued suspension of goods trains by the Railways even after easing of the blockade by the farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday wrote an open letter to BJP national president J.P. Nadda, calling for collective will and statesmanship to resolve the festering imbroglio.
He said that it could have dangerous consequences not just for Punjab but the entire nation, including the armed forces in Ladakh and Kashmir.
Reacting to this Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma said that goods and passenger trains were not coming to the state because the Chief Minister has miserably failed to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, responding to several recent statements of various BJP national and Punjab leaders on the farmer’s protests, particularly the continued suspension of goods trains by the Railways, the Chief Minister stressed that this was neither the time nor the occasion to indulge in political confrontation nor allegations/counter-allegations.
“What is needed at this critical moment is for all of us to put aside any temptations we may be harbouring to promote our political interests,” he said, adding that it is, on the contrary, “time for all of us to rise above political considerations and to respond as statesmen, to a situation that threatens to spiral irrevocable out of control, if immediate steps are not taken to stem the tide.”
Citing the repercussions the continued suspension of goods trains services would have for national security, in addition to the critical shortages faced not just by Punjab but also J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, the Chief Minister warned that the armed forces were likely to be badly affected with the onset of winter, as they could run out of supplies and other requisites once the snowfall blocks the roads to Ladakh and the Valley.
“These are dangers that neither the central government nor any political party, including the BJP, can choose to ignore,” he said, adding that “the onus lies on all of us….We need to all liaise together, with the common goal of solving the contentious issue, in the interest of the country,” CM added.
Referring to the losses caused in Punjab due to the prolonged blockade, Captain Amarinder said every day of the continued suspension of goods trains meant critical losses to the industry, agriculture and overall economy, in view of critical shortages of Power (Coal), Urea and DAP stocks.
The Chief Minister termed as distressing recent remarks of various BJP leaders/members to the prevailing crisis situation, taking specific note of the statements of BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma.
He said these leaders’ “frivolous and baseless allegation of a collusion of my government with what they call ‘Naxal forces’ shows a shocking lack of maturity and absence of understanding of the current situation.” He said the reference to farmers as ‘Naxals’ was reprehensible, given the contribution of farmers to the nation’s food security.
“The entire country has always looked up to our farmers as the ‘Annadatta’, and by comparing their agitation with ‘Naxalism’, these BJP leaders have demeaned the nation’s ‘Annadattas’ and humiliated every Indian whose lives they sustain,” the Chief Minister added.
Captain Amarinder also took serious exception to the BJP leaders’ use of certain observations of the Punjab High Court to question his government’s moral right to govern the state. The court had merely sought a report and called for steps to be taken by the state government to resolve the farmers’ blockade, he pointed out, adding that ascribing political motives to the judiciary was “nothing short of contempt of court.”