Satya Pal Malik ticks off BJP in Haryana over farmer protests

Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik has once again backed farmers agitating for repeal of the Centre’s farm laws, and said Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar should apologise for the lathi-charge in Karnal on Saturday.

Malik also demanded the sacking of a top IAS official after a video of him ordering police to “crack the heads” of protesting farmers emerged.

“Manohar Lal Khattar should apologise to the farmers… the Haryana chief minister is using sticks on farmers. The central government did not use force… I told the top leadership not to use force,” Malik told NDTV.

“[The] SDM [Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ayush Sinha] should be fired immediately. He is not fit for the SDM post… the government is supporting him,” he said.

Also read: Farmer dies; Tikait calls officer who ordered lathi-charge ‘sarkari Talibani’

Malik said the government had offered no consolation to the families of farmers who have died during the protests.

“Six hundred farmers have died [during the protests], but no one from the government has said even a word of consolation,” he said.

Farmers lathicharged in Karnal while they were protesting against BJP leaders who were reaching the district to attend legislator’s meeting. @ndtv https://t.co/9IEjpOM0LG pic.twitter.com/533MUmZOwU

— Mohammad Ghazali (@ghazalimohammad) August 28, 2021

Malik has also served as the governor of J&K, Goa, Bihar and Odisha, and said he was not worried about the government’s reaction. “I am not in love with this post. Whatever I say, I speak from my heart. I feel I have to return to the farmers.”

In March Malik told NDTV that if the protests continued, the BJP would lose electorally.

“If this movement continues like this then in the long term, BJP will lose out in western UP, Rajasthan and Haryana,” he had said.

Farmers blocked roads across Haryana on Saturday to protest police action against fellow farmers protesting a state-level meeting being led by Khattar.