New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused the Haryana government of creating a border "between Punjab and India," referring to the concrete blocks, nails, and barbed wire placed on some roads to scuttle the farmers' proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march.
Mann criticized the Manohar Khattar-led Haryana government, asserting that it has fortified the state's borders with Punjab to a degree comparable to the country's border with Pakistan, reported PTI.
In response, Khattar defended his government's actions, stating that the measures were necessary to uphold law and order and prevent Punjab farmers from advancing towards the national capital.
Haryana authorities have sealed the state's border with Punjab, particularly at Shambhu near Ambala district, using concrete barriers, sandbags, barbed wire, and anti-riot vehicles. Similar preparations have been made at the borders of the Jind and Fatehabad districts, the PTI report added.
Various farmer unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have declared their intention to march to Delhi on February 13 to demand the fulfillment of several demands, notably the enactment of a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
Addressing a gathering in Tarn Taran, Mann urged the Centre to heed the farmers' legitimate demands and criticized the border-like atmosphere created by Haryana's measures. "What are they doing in Haryana? They are laying nails and barbed wire at the Punjab-Haryana borders," he said.
"I urge the Centre to hold talks with farmers and accept their genuine demands. Do not create a border between Punjab and India. They (the Haryana government) have set up a border. There is as much barbed wire on the roads (at Punjab-Haryana borders) to go to Delhi as there is at the border with Pakistan," Mann added, the PTI report added.
Khattar, on the other hand, justified the security arrangements, emphasizing the need to maintain law and order in the face of past agitations marked by tractor rallies and confrontations.
"The kind of agitation they do is not right in democracy and we have seen this the last time. There are many buses and trains (to go to Delhi). But they take tractors and also attach some weapons at the front side of the tractors and if somebody asks them to stop, they will not stop," he said, PTI reported.
The Haryana Police have taken additional measures, such as installing iron sheets on the Ghaggar flyover near Ambala and placing spike strips and concrete barricades at various border points, including Tohana and Jakhal in Fatehabad district, to deter protesters.
The situation underscores the ongoing tensions between farmers and authorities regarding agrarian reforms and highlights the challenges in maintaining public order during mass protests.