With Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief OP Dhankar blaming on-going farmers’ agitation for an increase in drug menace in the state, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday accused the saffron party and its government in the neighbouring state of trying to defame the farmers’ agitation by accusing it of encouraging drug addiction as well as spreading violence in Haryana.

In a statement here, SAD farmers’ wing president Sikander Singh Maluka said “the BJP has been trying to defame the farmers’ struggle from day one.

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“Earlier the peacefully agitating farmers were accused of being anti-national and even terrorists. When this characterisation was not accepted by the people, and even more sinister conspiracy was initiated to paint them as being responsible for spreading drug addiction in Haryana,” he added.

Condemning Haryana BJP chief Dhankar for making mischievous allegations against the farmers’ movement against farm laws, Maluka said Haryana should get its own house in order before defaming the hard-working farmers of Punjab as well as the farmers’ agitation.

“This is nothing but a ploy for an eventual clamp down on the movement”, he said while asking Dhankar to stop spreading enmity in the farming community by singling out Punjab farmers as villains.

“Dhankar of all persons, who is from a farming background, should desist from becoming a party to this conspiracy to defame the farmers of Punjab,” Maluka said while rejecting allegations of increase of drug addiction in Sonepat, Rohtak, and Jhajjar.

He also condemned Haryana home minister Anil Vij for accusing farmers of instigating violence besides asserting that they were indulging in mayhem in the state.

“Facts point to the opposite”, Maluka said while asking the home minister to explain the order of the SDM to policemen to crack open the skulls of farmers in Karnal.

This kind of tactic to intimidate and suppress a peaceful movement did not augur well for a functioning democracy, Maluka said.

He said the truth was the farmers’ agitation was as much a movement of farmers of Haryana as it was that those of Punjab. Dhankar had yesterday claimed that a “by-product of this agitation” is an increase in drug addiction in areas including Jhajjar, Rohtak, and Sonipat, where the farmers” agitation is concentrated.

“I come from Jhajjar district, in my area drug addiction has increased. Ever since this agitation started there, village panchayats are meeting me and telling me that addiction has increased and they urge us to get it stopped. This increase in addiction cases is a by-product of this agitation.

In Rohtak, Sonipat to has increased,” said Dhankar, while terming the development as worrisome.