New Delhi: As protesting farmers entered Delhi for the first time in their two-month-long agitation against the farm laws and met with lathicharge, barricades and teargas from police, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal remained silent. The chief minister is usually social media friendly but at the time of publication had not responded to the violence that had taken place barely a few kilometres from his residence and workplace.
Kejriwal also, notably, did not speak on the violence in northeast Delhi last February during his lengthy Republic Day address today, despite the fact that the riots claimed 53 lives, left hundreds injured and altered the city’s social structures hugely.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia did not make any statement on farmers either. It was party spokesperson Raghav Chadha who issued a statement in the evening, against a purported effort to weaken farmers’ movement.
He claimed that “external elements” were involved in the violence.
Farmer leaders have said that those who indulged in today’s violence were not part of the movement but were external elements. Whosoever they may be, the violence has certainly weakened the movement which was going on peacefully and in a disciplined manner. (2/2)
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) January 26, 2021
Meanwhile, Delhi Congress leaders openly supported the protests by the farmers. Delhi unit president Anil Chaudhary tweeted an image with the comment that the police of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah had rained lathi blows on unarmed farmers who were going to Delhi.
गणतंत्र दिवस पर दिल्ली आ रहे निहत्थे किसानों पर लाठियाँ बरसाती मोदी- शाह की पुलिस. pic.twitter.com/eNPUAS8bSM
— Anil Chaudhary (@Ch_AnilKumarINC) January 26, 2021
Former Delhi minister and All India Congress Committee general secretary Ajay Maken tweeted that the farmers agitation had now gone out of the hands of the liberal leaders. Stating that the radical groups would gain in strength following the violent clashes, he asked why the arrogant government allowed such a situation to arise.
आज की हिंसक झड़पों में कई घायल-चिंता का विषय है
परंतु,बड़ी चिंता होनी चाहिए की आज के बाद,पूरे देश के किसानों में उग्र सोच रखने वाले नेतृत्व को बल मिल जाएगा!
नरमी दिखाने वाले नेताओं के हाथ से आंदोलन ही निकल जाएगा
अहंकारी सरकार ने ऐसा क्यों होने दिया?#तीनों_काले_क़ानून_वापस_लो
— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) January 26, 2021
As for the Bharatiya Janata Party, none of its leaders in Delhi, including unit president Adesh Gupta, issued a statement on the farmers rally and the police violence. Though Gupta tweeted messages related to Republic Day celebrations during the day, he too refrained from commenting on the violence.