Violence in Delhi: Maha leaders slam BJP, appeal for peace

Mumbai, Jan 26 : Expressing shock over the violent turn to the farmers agitation in New Delhi on Tuesday, top leaders of Maharashtra ruling coalition slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party terming it as “arrogant, insensitive” to the cause of the peasantry, while appealing for peace and shunning violence.
Holding the Centre responsible for the violence, Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar aid it was its duty to maintain law and order and control the situation, but it failed completely.
“For over 60 days, the farmers have been protesting peacefully. They are from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and agitated in a disciplined manner. However, the government did not take them seriously and as their restraint ended, the tractor march was taken out,” he said.
While saying nobody would support what happened in the national capital on Tuesday, Pawar pointed out that the farmers have been repeatedly targetted by the BJP which has even labelled them as ‘terrorists or anti-nationals’ in past few weeks.
The Shiv Sena termed the violent outcome as a result of “intelligence failure” by the Centre which ended in a “national shame for the country” on Republic Day.
“What was the government doing when the farmers entered the Red Fort? The whole world has watched something unprecedented. The protests were going on peacefully for two months so what has happened does not augur well for the government or the farmers,” Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.