Cricketer-turned-politician BJP's Gautam Gambhir took a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying his Monday's show of support to farmers was just a ruse to wrest power in Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the second largest after the Congress and elections are due in two years. Mr Kejriwal's visit to Singhu border also earned him rebuke from Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who said his counterpart's "sevadar (in service of)" claim was pretence.
"Farmers are just an excuse to come to power in Punjab! Only Arvind Kejriwal can manage to lock himself in his house and then shout "house arrest"," the parliamentarian tweeted in Hindi.
Mr Gambhir's comment came hours after the AAP members said their chief had been placed under "house arrest" after Monday's visit to Singhu border, where he had gone to review arrangements.
They added that protests outside Mr Kejriwal's residence were "deliberate" attempts to prevent him from joining the farmers for today's Bharat Bandh.
The Delhi Police denied the claim amid Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's allegations that even AAP workers were not being allowed to meet Mr Kejriwal, and that the Centre was targeting the Delhi government for refusing to turn nine stadia into jail for farmers.
The AAP is the principal opposition party in the Punjab assembly with 19 seats after Congress' 80. The BJP, which recently said it would contest all the 117 seats on its own in 2022, only has two seats. Its former ally Shiromani Akali Dal has 14.
Though the AAP and the Congress, both, support the farmers' demand for repeal of the "black laws", the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has been under intense attack from Amarinder Singh over reports that one of Centre's three laws were notified by his government.
"When other opposition-ruled states, including Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, have passed amendment bills to counter the central laws, why did he not call a session of the Delhi Assembly to reject the latter?" the Punjab Chief Minister said.
Mr Singh also criticised Mr Kejriwal for not backing the farmers when the laws were passed in September when the protest started escalating.
Rail tracks and roads were blocked in parts of the country in response to farmers' call for Bharat Bandh today. Mandis remained fully or partially shut in many states, transporters stayed off roads and bank unions backed them with peaceful protests after work, which they attended with black bands. The bandh was also backed by all Opposition parties.
Ahead of tomorrow's sixth round of talks with the government, Union home minister Amit Shah has called farmers' representatives for a meeting today evening.
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