Earlier today, Attorney General KK Venugopal in the Supreme Court argued that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the ongoing protests. The apex court was hearing a case challenging the validity of the three Farm Laws that were passed by the Centre in Septemeber 2020.
Attorney General : We have said that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the protests.#FarmersProtests #SupremeCourt #FarmLaws
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) January 12, 2021
The argument, which was voiced by Attorney General KK Venugopal, came in response to a query from the Court regarding a specific averment made in an application filed by one of the farmer groups in favour of the farm laws alleging that a banned organisation is helping the protests.
As KK Venugopal made the statement, the Court asked him to file an affidavit. The lawyer said he would do so by tomorrow along with the inputs from the Intelligence Bureau.
Furthermore, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for a petitioner supporting the farm laws, said, “Those who organised rallies for Khalistan have put up flags at the protests”.
However, the declaration of Khalistani involvement in the ongoing protests rattled the usual suspects, who were quick to descend on the social media websites to sow confusion and discord by attributing wrong statements and assertions to the central government. Scores of left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ took this opportunity to widen the chasm between the farmers and the Centre by alleging that the government had termed all the protesters as Khalistani proponents.
Leftists give a false account of KK Venugopal’s statement to allege Centre has called protesters Khalistanis
The Wire journalist Rohini Singh took to Twitter and quoted the tweet by Live Law where in KK Venugopal had affirmed that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the protests. Singh tweeted, “Protesting farmers are Khalistanis. Government’s official stance now”.
Swati Chaturvedi, an abusive troll masquerading as journalist, also quoted the tweet to allege that the central government thinks that the farmers agitating are Khalistanis. She also hoped that the SC won’t let the slur pass.
The Caravan’s Vinod Jose raised aspersions on the government’s submissions in the Supreme Court about the existence of Khalistani supporters involved in the ongoing protests. Jose sought evidence and opined that such irresponsible statements would damage the standing of the Centre even more.
Actor Swara Bhasker, who had earlier thrown her weight behind Delhi riots accused Umar Khalid, also took to the microblogging website to allude that the Centre has likened the protesting farmers to Khalistanis.
“What are we then if for years we are consuming food grains grown by these said Khalistanis?” Bhasker tweeted.
Another Caravan journalist Hartosh Singh Bal, who has a knack of peddling fake stories and media canards, also twisted the AG KK Venugopal’s assertion that the farmer protest has seen infiltration from Khalistani elements. Bal suggested that the apex court should have said in its response that any random group of 57 farmers in the protests is farm more patriotic that the collective of the Modi cabinet.
Professional propagandist and YouTuber Abhisar Sharma too joined the bandwagon of the liberals who had sought to tarnish the Centre’s standing among the farmers by falsely claiming that the Modi government had equated the protesters with Khalistanis. In a tweet, Sharma inexplicably linked the involvement of Khalistanis in the ongoing protests with the government’s reassuring remarks on the patriotism of Sikhs.
The government, represented by AG KK Venugopal, noted that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the farmer protests. However, the perverse set of leftists twisted this statement to allege that the government had painted all the protesters with the same brush, accusing all of them of being pro-Khalistanis. Contrary to what these leftists would have us believe, the statement meant that Khalistani supporters and sympathisers have joined the protests to throw the country into chaos and disorder.
Banned Khalistani outfits extend their support to Farmers’ protests
The statement of Khalistani involvement in the ongoing protests is not groundless or baseless as alleged by the leftists. The farmers’ protest saw participation from pro-Khalistani elements. Several ‘farmers’ resorted to violence and worrying slogans, supporting Khalistan were also raised. With pro-Khalistan and anti-Indian slogans being raised during the ‘farmer protest’ along the Haryana-Punjab border, questions were also being raised over the alleged involvement of SFJ in instigating Punjab farmers to protest against the Modi government under the pretext that the three farm bills are ‘anti-farmer’ in nature.
The shady role of the SFJ was being analysed as details started emerging that pointed towards the possible interference of pro-Khalistan elements to hijack these farmer protest. It is important to note that the Khalistan organisation SFJ, funded by Pakistan, had earlier declared a grant of $1 million for farmers in Punjab and Haryana in lieu of their support for Khalistan.
On 23rd September, it was reported that the SFJ had attempted to capitalise on the ongoing protests by farmers and had declared that it would distribute $1 million among farmers who had defaulted on agricultural loans.
“From October 1 to October 8, any farmer — irrespective of his faith — can register 25 votes for the Khalistan Referendum 2020 and get a grant of Rs 5,000 as assistance to repay their agricultural loans,” SJF said. The security agencies have since received inputs on the latest offer by SFJ.
Besides, another contentious organisation Khalsa Aid, which is believed to be a front organisation for the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), was also involved in the ongoing farmers’ protests.
Khalsa Aid had set up massage centres at the farmers’ protests in makeshift spaces at Singhu border. In a Facebook post, they announced, “Khalsa Aid India has set up this makeshift space as a massage centre. This is for our farmer brothers and sisters who were experiencing pain. We are overwhelmed by the love and blessings that our farmers bestow on us.”
Pro-Khalistani slogans and posters of Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale raised at farmers’ protests
There have been several instances when demonstrators participating in the farmers’ protests have displayed their Khalistani proclivities. One of them was Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, who had become the face of the farmers’ protest. Sidhu unabashedly hailed Khalistani terrorists Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a revolutionary fighter who fought for a strong federal structure. This was exposed in his interview with Barkha Dutt, who had self-admittedly provided him with a platform to come clean on the allegations of him being a Khalistani supporter.
However, the Punjabi actor refused to condemn Bhindranwale as a terrorist and went on to claim that the media during that time weaved a narrative and falsely portrayed him as a terrorist. He also alleged that about 80-90 per cent people in Punjab still do not consider Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a terrorist.
Sidhu was not the only Khalistani supporter who was associated with the farmers’ protests. On many instances during the protests, the demonstrators were seen raising pro-Khalistani slogans and holding posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In one of the videos from the protests that had gone viral, protesters were seen gloating over the death of the former Indian PM Indira Gandhi and threatened PM Modi with a similar fate if their demands were not fulfilled.
