The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab co-incharge and MLA from Delhi, Raghav Chadha, who was on a two-day tour in Punjab, on Saturday met the arthiyas whose residences and offices were raided by the Income Tax department in retaliation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government. Chadha visited the residences of Punjab's Arthiya Association president and vice-chairman of Punjab Mandi Board, Vijay Kalra and senior vice president Amarjit Singh Brar. On the occasion, Chadha said that today when the farmers of Punjab and the country were agitating on the streets in severe cold against the Modi government for their existence; at that time the arthiyas of Punjab were standing with the farmers and strengthening their mutual relations."After harassing the farmers, the PM Modi-led central government is now troubling the Punjab arthiyas by imposing Income Tax raids at their offices and residences to intimidate them, because their only fault was supporting the farmers’ movement and providing them help to make it more powerful," he added.
Chadha assured the Punjab's Arthiya Association president Vijay Kalra, that the Aam Aadmi Party stood by him and the party would extend all possible support to the people's struggle to respond to the dictatorship being perpetrated by the Modi government.He also thanked the arthiya association for realising its duty and fighting for the rights of the farmers. Vijay Kalra, said that the anti-farmers black laws introduced by the Union Government would not only destroy the farmers but also the artisans, small traders, businessmen and labourers. He said that the Modi government could not silence them by threatening and intimidating them in this manner. Kalra added that the arthiya association will remain a part of the farmers' movement till the three agriculture black laws were repealed. On the occasion, Chadha was accompanied by state general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat, Dr Ajmer Singh Kalra, Laljit Singh Bhullar, Naresh Kataria, Baljit Singh Khaira among others.