Channi meets Amit Shah, seeks sealing of Punjab border

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and sought his intervention to seal the international border in the state to prevent illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons.

Channi, who met Shah at his residence in the evening, also impressed upon the home minister to repeal the three farm laws against which the farmers were agitating and raised the issue of Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight people lost their lives.

He also urged Shah to get the Kartarpur corridor opened to enable Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy shrine.

This was Channi's first meeting with Shah after becoming the chief minister of the state.

The chief minister told reporters after the meeting that he hoped for a positive outcome of the discussions which were held in a congenial atmosphere.

Seeking the home minister's personal indulgence to resolve the farmers' imbroglio, Channi requested him to repeal the farm laws at the earliest.

Expressing deep anguish over the tragic Lakhimpur Kheri incident, Channi said such barbaric acts would not be tolerated.

Condemning the manner in which opposition leaders were arrested, who were on their way to meet the victims' families, he said this system must be stopped.

"I met Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to repeal the three farm laws. I also sought his intervention to seal the international border with Punjab to stop trafficking of drugs and weapons," Channi said after the meeting, saying the sealing of the border would help stop the supply chain of drugs.

"I also told him that we will not tolerate such barbaric killings like in Uttar Pradesh. The way our leaders were arrested should also stop," he also said.

The Congress leader said he also requested Shah for the early opening of the Kartarpur Corridor and he assured that the government would take a decision in this regard very soon.

Earlier in Chandigarh, Channi, who along with some ministers and Congress legislators held a silent protest at the Gandhi Smarak Bhawan, said the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri reminds him of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.

Eight people died and several others were injured on Sunday in the bloodiest clash since the farmers' protest over the Centre's agri laws began last year.

Four of the dead were farmers, allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by Bharatiya Janata Party workers travelling to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.

The others were BJP workers and their driver who were allegedly pulled out of the vehicles and lynched. Two cars were set on fire.

Channi alleged that the killing of the farmers was intentional.

Slamming the BJP government at the Centre, he said it should not force the country's youth to look at martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev and Shahid Udham Singh for restoring democracy in the country again.

Apparently referring to a video clip purportedly showing an SUV mowing down farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, Channi said the way the SUV mowed down peaceful farmers from behind and killed them and all this that happened was intentional.

He alleged that a BJP leader had earlier told farmers that they would not be spared.

"And then they (farmers) were killed intentionally. It was brutal", he said.

The chief minister said the incident reminded him of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy wherein General Dyer had ordered his troops to fire at peaceful civilians.

"Today, the same has been done with farmers," he added.

It is necessary to recognise the voice of people and governments in democracy should work according to their will, Channi said.

"Today farmers are upset and they are dying. Considering this, these laws should be repealed immediately," he said, adding incidents like in Lakhimpur Kheri should be stopped.

Channi said the prime minister should stop BJP people and the RSS and added that it will not work in the country.

On the issue of detention of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Uttar Pradesh, he said it was too much and unacceptable.

"Today, the blood of all the countrymen is boiling," he added.