AAP, BJP, Congress train guns at each other for protest violence

Thousands of protesters who had been camping on Delhi’s borders with Hayana and Uttar Pradesh, stormed into the city, riding tractors, breaking through barriers and clashing with the police.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has been supporting the agitation against the farm laws, condemned the violence during the tractor parade on Tuesday, saying it has “weakened” the protests.

Protesting farmers remove the barricades after breaching the routes during their tractor rally at Ghazipur border, in New Delhi (ANI Photo)

Thousands of protesters who had been camping on Delhi’s borders with Hayana and Uttar Pradesh, stormed into the city, riding tractors, breaking through barriers and clashing with the police.

Even as the AAP blamed the Centre for “allowing” Delhi’s law and order situation to deteriorate from “bad to worse”, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the AAP and the Congress of allegedly sending members of their Punjab cadre to join the rally.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal did not comment on the matter on Tuesday.

The AAP in a statement said, “We strongly condemn the violence seen in today [Tuesday]’s protest. It is regrettable that the Central government allowed the situation to deteriorate to such an extent. The movement has been peaceful for the last two months.”

“Farmer leaders have said those who indulged in violence today were not part of the movement and were external elements. Whoever they were, the violence has certainly weakened the movement which was going on peacefully and in a disciplined manner,” the AAP said.

Delhi BJP President Adesh Gupta said the “kisan Andolan” is no longer under the control of the farmer’s bodies.

“In fact, all along, the farmers protests have been supplemented by elements from the Congress and the AAP cadres from Punjab,” he said.

Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary also condemned the violence and said that the BJP-led government at the centre was “instigating the farmers”. “On Republic Day, farmers were lathi charged and tear gas shells were lobbed at them. The BJP government wanted the farmers to be forced to resort to violence, so that they could be portrayed as unruly,” alleged Chaudhary.