Mamata Banerjee condemns 'assault' on protesting farmers at Shambhu border

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday condemned the firing of tear gas shells at protesting farmers in Haryana, dubbing it as “BJP’s brutal assault” on cultivators.

The Haryana Police lobbed tear gas shells at farmers who tried to break barricades set up at the state's border with Punjab at Shambhu near Ambala, as growers demanding a law on minimum support price marched toward Delhi.

“How can our country progress when the farmers are attacked with tear gas shells for fighting for their basic rights? I strongly condemn the brutal assault on our farmers by the BJP,” Banerjee said in a post on X.

How can our country progress when the farmers are attacked with tear gas shells for fighting for their basic rights? I strongly condemn the brutal assault on our farmers by the BJP.

The Central Govt.'s failure to support farmers and labourers, coupled with futile PR stunts,…

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 13, 2024

“Instead of suppressing their protest, BJP must focus on humbling their inflated egos, power-hungry ambitions, and inadequate governance that has harmed our nation,” she added.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had announced that farmers would head to Delhi on Tuesday to press for their demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

In Delhi, security has been intensified with multi-layer barricades, concrete blocks, iron nails and walls of containers at border points, officials said.