Published 12:07 IST, December 28th 2020
Kejriwal ignored invite on farm laws but visited Singhu border to mislead farmers: Tiwari
Manoj Tiwari said Arvind Kejriwal ignored his invitation to explain the benefits of the farm laws but instead visited the Singhu border and provoked the farmers
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The BJP has sought to corner Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for opposing the new farm laws with the party leaders Adesh Gupta and Manoj Tiwari asking the AAP chief to fix a date and place of his choice to discuss the benefits of the legislation.
Taking to Twitter, Tiwari said that Kejriwal ignored his invitation to explain the benefits of the agriculture laws, but instead visited the Singhu border and provoked the agitating farmers by lying to them about the three agrarian laws.
“Mr Arvind Kejriwal, yesterday we kept waiting to tell you the benefits of the agricultural laws, but you did not come and reached the Singhu border again last evening and then lied. Let me first explain that you are provoking innocent farmers against laws. Now let’s do constructive politics for the benefit of farmers,” Manoj Tiwari tweeted in Hindi.
The BJP leader had on Saturday invited Delhi CM to his residence on Mother Teresa Crescent Road to clear his "doubts" on the laws. Tiwari said he was waiting for the chief minister at his residence at 3 pm on Sunday, but he did not turn up. He told the media that the AAP leader should either stop "misleading people" on the farm laws or accept his invitation.
Adesh Gupta, who was also with Tiwari at his residence, said since Kejriwal could not show up, he may select any place and time where the benefits of the laws could be explained to him. Kejriwal had claimed the new agricultural reforms will not benefit farmers, but only harm them.
"The BJP says that these laws will not harm farmers. But what is their benefit? They say that now the farmers will be able to sell their crop anywhere outside the market. But outside the market, the crop is sold at half the price. How is this a benefit? The truth is that these laws will do a lot of harm and don't have a single benefit," Kejriwal had said in a tweet.
Kejriwal ignores BJP’s request for talks
Tiwari said he had invited Kejriwal to his residence as he did not meet opposition leaders and also refrained from meeting public representatives sitting outside his residence. Recently, the three mayors and leaders of municipal corporations sat on a dharna outside Chief Minister's residence for 13 days, but he did not meet them.
"If Arvind Kejriwal has any genuine doubts about the farm laws or he really fails to understand the benefits of the same, we are ready to help him. He should stop misleading people about the farm laws or accept our offer," Tiwari told the media on Sunday.
Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party have come out strongly in support of the farmers protesting against the new laws. Earlier this month, Kejriwal had visited Singhu border, one of the protest sites, and reviewed arrangements made by the city government for farmers.
Farmers from various parts of the country have been camping at different border points of Delhi for over four weeks now to demand repeal of the three agri laws, which were voted through in Parliament in September amid strong protests by opposition parties. The 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 their produce anywhere in the country.
12:07 IST, December 28th 2020