Amarinder Singh’s intervention welcome to resolve farmers’ stir: BJP general secy Tarun Chugh

In a statement, Chugh, who is a BJP leader from the state, hailed Singh for his efforts to resolve farmers’ issues and said that “the Centre has been always open to talks with farmers and has welcomed any intervention to resolve the deadlock”.

Singh on Wednesday announced that he will launch his own party and will also meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to continue his efforts to resolve the issues of farmers who have been protesting against the three laws.

The former chief minister, who had met Shah last month too and discussed the prolonged farmers’ agitation, had announced that he is open to an alliance with the BJP, provided the farmers’ issues gets resolved.

Chugh also appreciated Singh over his stand on the issue of increasing the Border Security Force’s jurisdiction.

Singh is a soldier, sensitive about national security and has exposed the Congress, which would be completely wiped out in the coming assembly elections in Punjab, he said.

The Union government had recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the border guarding force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a 50 km stretch, up from the existing 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

“Amarinder Singh is soldier and taking a appropriate stand on the issue of national security. We understand Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu’s sympathy for Pakistan but it is tragic that he is not sensitive to the national security concerns of a border state,” Chugh said.

Singh on Wednesday strongly backed the BJP-led Centre’s move of extending the BSF’s jurisdiction and asserted that the border force is not going to take over Punjab or its administration.

Pointing towards a rise in instances of advanced technology-fitted drones with increasing payload coming from Pakistan and smuggling narcotics, weapons, and explosives, he said there is something very wrong and dangerous happening at the borders, which the state cannot afford to ignore.

Singh’s assertion came two days after political parties in Punjab, except the BJP, decided to reject the Centre’s notification of extending the jurisdiction of the BSF by calling a special session of the Punjab Assembly. The session will begin on November 8.

He said he was not an alarmist but his 10 years of experience in the army and 9.5 years as home minister of the state told him that “something is going to happen”.