CHANDIGARH: Sikh farmer leader and All India Jatt Mahasabha's Chandigarh state president and national delegate S. Rajinder Singh Badheri has warned the Union Government to refrain from unnecessarily harassing Sikh farmers and Sikh youth to suppress the peasant movement.
He said that during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the 1980s, similarly meaningless atrocities were perpetrated on the Sikh youth; Due to which the situation deteriorated later. Mr. Badheri also asked the Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to immediately intervene in the matter at his level and reach out to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, three Sikh youths were arrested while campaigning for agitating farmers. Rajinder Singh Badheri said that in 1980, Sanjay Gandhi, Gurbir Singh Baku, son of former Punjab Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Gurnam Singh and Rajya Sabha member Viswajit Singh Kapurthala made similar efforts to divide the Sikhs. The then Joint Secretary of Intelligence Ram Nath Kao also made awkward moves to call the Sikhs 'terrorists' and misled the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Mr. Badheri said that Ajit Doval, India's national security adviser, should also refrain from using deceptive tactics to defame Sikhs. He said that the three Sikh youths arrested in Shimla today were only campaigning for the agitating farmers - there was nothing else to blame.
Mr. Badheri said that such maneuvers of the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh led by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur were very dangerous and shameful.
Mr. Badheri also said that the Union government should immediately withdraw the three new agriculture laws as soon as possible and settle the matter amicably. He said that presently there was no other influential leader in Punjab except Capt. Amarinder Singh who was listened to by the people. That is why now it is up to Captain Sahib to take the lead in this matter and step in to save the peace in Punjab.