JALANDHAR/CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will hold a Maha Kisan Sammelan on 21 March, in support of the farmers and their agitation. The programme to be held at Bagha Purana, will be addressed by Delhi Chief Minister and AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal. The announcement was made by AAP state president and MP Bhagwant Mann, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema, party’s Punjab incharge Jarnail Singh and co-incharge Raghav Chadha, during a press conference convened here on Monday. The party volunteers and the people from all parts of Punjab would be invited to AAP’s Maha Kisan Sammelan.
Addressing the media on the occasion, the leaders said that the AAP genuinely believes that the farm laws need to be repealed immediately and through this Maha Sammelan, a message would be sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government to immediately repeal the anti-farmers black laws. They said that the AAP was the first party to highlight the issue pertaining to the farm laws and the consequences it would have for the farmers of the state. The leaders said that the party held public meetings in the villages of Punjab to inform the people about the black farm laws and its consequences. “AAP motivated the panchayats of Punjab to call a gram sabha and pass a resolution against these farm laws. AAP was the first party to support the farmer’s march to Delhi,” they added.
Slamming the traditional parties in Punjab, the AAP leaders said that all three parties: Congress, Akali Dal and the BJP had betrayed and backstabbed the farmers of the state. They said that all the three, being hand in glove, had passed the farm laws and now was shedding crocodile tears to show that they were pro-farmers. “These parties have never been farmers-friendly. The SAD government in 2013 had passed the Contract Farming Act 2013 which allowed the government and the private players to convert the farmers of Punjab into bonded labour,” they added.