After Punjab CM, Prakash Javadekar attacks Kejriwal's one day fast: 'This is hypocrisy'

After Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has hit out at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's announcement of observing a fast on Monday. Kejriwal has said he will observe a daylong fast on Monday in response to a call given by the farmers protesting against three new farm laws.

'Arvind Kejriwal this is your hypocrisy'

Taking to Twitter, the BJP leader tagged the Aam Aadmi Party chief and said, "this is your hypocrisy." Javadekar claimed that Kejriwal had promised an amendment to APMC Act in Punjab Assembly elections. The Information and Broadcasting Minister also said that last month, Kejriwal notified one farm law in the national capital. "Nothing but hypocrisy," he added. 

Addressing a virtual press briefing on Sunday, the Delhi Chief Minister asked the Centre bring a Bill to guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural produce. "I want to appeal to the central government to put an end to their ego. The governments are formed by the public, the public is not formed by the governments. The three farm laws should be immediately repealed and a Bill should be brought to guarantee MSP to farmers," he said.

'Kejriwal indulging in theatrics': Punjab CM

Kejriwal compared the "defaming" of the farmers' protest with Anna Hazare's movement of which he was a top leader. "I could not help but reminisce the days of Anna Hazare Ji's movement. The Congress government defamed us as anti-nationals. What Congress did to our movement, the BJP is doing the same to the farmers' protest," he said.

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Meanwhile, Amarinder Singh said the Kejriwal government had "backstabbed" the farmers by "shamelessly" notifying one of the farm laws on November 23. "And now, they are indulging in theatrics by announcing that they would be sitting on a fast in support of the farmers' hunger strike on Monday," he said in a statement issued in Chandigarh.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

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(With PTI inputs)