Ludhiana: Several people, including members of farmers’ unions, who on Wednesday came to take part in the debate held by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann with Opposition leaders in Ludhiana, said the AAP leader failed to hear them out.
The protesters were denied entry inside the heavily guarded Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus where the debate Main Punjab Bolda Haan was held.
Despite an “open invitation” Mann had extended to the people of Punjab to come and watch the debate at Dr Manmohan Singh auditorium in PAU, the media, activists or even common people were not allowed to enter the PAU campus, which was placed under heavy police security.
Out of a group of 50 farmers of Krantikari Kisan Union (KKU), only five could reach outside PAU Gate No 1. Some of them said the others were detained at the Jagraon police station and had not been released till the time of filing this report.
Harinder Singh Chanarthal, president of Fatehgarh Sahib unit of KKU, said, “On October 30, Punjab CM himself had posted on social media that it was an open invitation to the Punjabis to be part of this debate. Hence we came. The CM should have posted on social media himself a day before the debate that it is not open to the public. But he kept mum and officers kept on harassing the common man”.
He added, “Few people could be seen sitting inside the auditorium in the live link and clapping for the CM but what were the criteria for inviting people? It’s a debate when you are open to criticism. The CM needs to read the rulebook of the debate”.
Paramvir Singh, from the Badochin Khurd village of Fatehgarh Sahib, said, “In February 2022, we voted the AAP to power and sent 92 of its members to the Assembly. We had rejected the SAD, the BJP, and Congress. I fail to understand why the CM is keen to debate with the ones who had been rejected by the masses 20 months ago. Why can’t he debate with commoners like us? We are the ones who are suffering with the day-to-day issues”.
“We told them that 50 farmers would be going to participate in the debate. After all, it was an open invitation from the CM. The CID officials took the mobile numbers and names of all 50 of us. We thought they might facilitate our entry… No one was allowed to enter inside. It would have been ok with us had they allowed even two people to go inside. The CM is not ready to debate with an aam aadmi who questions his own performance”.
Harnek Singh Bhalmajra of Fatehgarh Sahib said, “Most of the members of different unions had come in small groups of four to five. Unemployment is the major issue being faced by these protesters and unemployment was a topic of debate… So why did the CM fear taking questions? They would have questioned every politician and not just him?”
Avtar Singh Mehma, press secretary of KKU, said, “The CM sat alone on the stage and behind him was the logo ‘Main Punjab Bolda Haan’. In fact, it should have been ‘Main Hankaar Bolda Haan (me, arrogance is speaking)”.