Mayawati slams Punjab CM for farmer comments

New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) BSP President Mayawati slammed Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday for his letter to the Prime Minister on the farmers' issue.

Mayawati in a tweet in Hindi said, "The letter written by Congress' Chief Minister of Punjab to the Prime Minister about the farmers' agitation is a conspiracy to defame the farmers who are sacrificing their lives."

She said the farmers are agitating to get the new agricultural laws repealed but the Punjab CM is casting aspersions which is not good and it is unbecoming to play politics on the issue.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resume dialogue with the agitating farmers and make concerted efforts to resolve their issues.

The Chief Minister has proposed to lead an all-party delegation from Punjab for discussions with the Prime Minister to find a durable and amicable solution to the vexed problem of the prolonged farmer agitation, which is threatening the social fabric of the state and impacting economic activities as well.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Amarinder warned that powers across the border "may try to play upon the charged emotions of the proud, sincere and hardworking farmers" of Punjab, which has a long and live international border.

"The situation is presently under control, but I fear that provocative statements and conduct of some political parties and the emotional backlash might create law and order problems and also lead to irreversible damage to the hard-earned peace in the state," said the Chief Minister, underscoring the need for the central government to address the genuine concerns of the farmers.