Amarinder questions Jaitley's silence on Sikh farmers' plight in Gujarat

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Monday questioned what he alleged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitely's silence regarding the plight of Sikh farmers in Gujarat who are being selectively targeted and forcibly evicted from their lands'.

Capt Amarinder said that Jaitley owes an answer not only because he is contesting from Amritsar but also that he is a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat for the last 14 years.

"Ideally, as he has been claiming himself to be a Punjabi, he should have raised the Punjabi farmers' issue with the Gujarat government long back as he enjoyed a privileged position there that is obvious from his third term as a member of the Rajya Sabha from that state, but unfortunately he has not done anything even now when he is contesting from Punjab", he observed.

The former Punjab Chief Minister expressed doubts whether Jaitley actually has any idea about the plight of Punjabi farmers in Gujarat.

"I honestly don't expect him to know about such an issue since he has not indicated that he is even remotely concerned with it", he remarked while adding that by coming to Punjab, Jaitley should have learnt about it by now.

He hoped that he uses his good offices in Gujarat to help the Punjabi farmers and ensure that they are not thrown out.

Capt Amarinder also took a dig at Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for "totally ignoring and overlooking the sorry plight of the Punjabi farmers in Gujarat".

He said he was not at all surprised over the silence of Badal, even though he proclaims himself to be a messiah of farmers.

"He turns blind eye at everything that does not affect his personal or family's fortunes," added the former Chief Minister.