CHANDIGARH: Opposition parties on Wednesday condemned the detention of several farmer leaders including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, calling it a “cowardly act” of the AAP-led Punjab government.Several farmer leaders including Pandher and Dallewal were detained in Mohali while returning from a meeting with a central delegation, as the Punjab Police evicted farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites and began clearing the roads, which were blocked for more than a year.Condemning the Punjab Police action against the farm union leaders as a “cowardly act” of the state government, senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said it has never happened in the history of Punjab that the government “arrested” the leaders after calling them on the pretext of a meeting.The leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly said in a statement that it is not even the tradition of Punjab.”Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has backstabbed the entire farming community of Punjab. Punjabis will never forget this and will never forgive him for this shameful act,” he said.BJP leader and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu alleged that the AAP government in Punjab was trying to “sabotage” talks between the Centre and farmers.In a statement, Bittu said that he was shocked to hear the news of the Punjab Police’s action against farmer leaders.”The central government is serious about the farmer’s issues and the sudden action of the Punjab government is aimed at sabotaging the talks. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has betrayed the farmers. Arvind Kejriwal who is camping in Punjab for the last three days has hatched a conspiracy against farmers.”
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