Former Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy asks Centre to hold talks with agitating farmers
Bengaluru, Nov 30: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday asked the Centre to hold talks with protesting farmers at the borders of Delhi to remove misgivings they have on the new agri-marketing laws.
"The #FarmersProtest in Delhi against the Centre's new agricultural legislation has entered the fifth day.
The Centre, which has stated that such laws have been brought in to help farmers, should immediately hold talks with protesters and make efforts to remove their suspicions," the JD(S) leader tweeted.
He said the suspicion among farmers and people about the laws would continue to grow further if the government did not address their concerns.
Kumaraswamy advised the government not to put any pre- conditions for talks like asking the farmers to move to Burari Park for their demonstration.
"My sincere suggestion is to hear the grievances of farmers at the place where they are presently located or at a place of their choice," he said in another tweet.
Noting that the farmers' dharna at Singhu border in the harsh winter and prevalence of the coronavirus had entered the fifth day,he said it was not right to leave them in such an adverse condition, "in the interest of their health".
"The Centre will be responsible if any of the protesters face health problems.
In this context, it is better to hear their plea at the earliest," the JD(S) leader tweeted.
The new farm bills, he opined, were not in the interest of the agriculture sector and the people at large. a
Thousands of farmers are continuing their stir against the Centre's new farm laws at the Delhi-Haryana border for the fifth day today.
The #FarmersProtest in Delhi against the Centre's new agricultural legislations has entered the 5th day. The Centre, which has stated that such laws have been brought in to help farmers, should immediately hold talks with protesters and make efforts to remove their suspicions.1/5
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) November 30, 2020
The farmers have been staging a dharna at Singhu border for the last five days. This is winter season and the harsh winter in Delhi makes anyone shiver. It is not right to leave farmers in such an adverse condition during the COVID-19 pandemic in the interest of their health.
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) November 30, 2020
4/5
The Centre will be responsible if any of the protesters face health problems. In this context, it is better to hear their plea at the earliest.
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) November 30, 2020
5/5
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Three central armed police force personnel suspended for playing carrom in TMC office
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission suspended three central armed police force personnel after a purported video went viral showing them playing carrom inside a Trinamool Congress (TMC) office at Suri in West Bengal's Birbhum district, a senior official said on Sunday.
A departmental inquiry has been ordered into the matter, he said.
"As of now, these three personnel have been removed from poll duty. We have initiated an inquiry into the incident. The authenticity of the video recording is being checked thoroughly," the poll body official said.
The disciplinary action was triggered by a purported video which went viral on Saturday, showing one personnel playing carrom with three local youths, another standing, and a third seated on a chair inside the TMC office in Suri.
PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
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This was the second such disciplinary action taken against the central forces deployed in Bengal in the run up to the to the state elections by the poll body in four days for violating commission's guidelines.
On March 25, the EC transferred seven paramilitary personnel deployed on election duty in Murshidabad district out of the state for allegedly attending an iftar party in violation of guidelines.
The jawans, along with two policemen, had allegedly attended an Iftar on March 8 hosted by local TMC leader Samim Sheikh, husband of Aliara Bibi, pradhan of Nimtita gram panchayat in the Samsergunj area of Murshidabad.
Responding to the latest development in Suri, BJP candidate for the segment, Jagannath Chatterjee, condemned the incident, calling it "extremely reprehensible and disappointing."
"It is unclear how and where the central forces are being deployed. If the local administration or police had a role in this carrom game, strict action should be taken against them as well," Chatterjee said.
Congress Birbhum district president Sanjay Adhikari expressed similar concern, saying, "Playing carrom is not a crime, but doing so inside a political party's office is inappropriate."
Responding to the controversy, TMC leader of Birbhum district Malay Mukherjee said, "Those who were working here understand that casually interacting with TMC is not a crime. That is probably why they were talking and playing carrom."
The EC had previously issued directives prohibiting the deployed CAPF from accepting any form of hospitality or participating in social and private gatherings during poll duty while putting in place strict monitoring mechanisms, including GPS tracking and body cameras, to oversee movement and activities of the forces.
