Condemning vandalism of mobile towers in Punjab amid farmers' protests, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the farmers from the State should think about this and such acts should stop.
"Such things should not happen. Our farmers from Punjab should think about this. The acts of vandalism should stop," said Singh in an exclusive interview to .
Meanwhile, noting that farmers are "annadatas" and "backbone of the economy," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday strongly disapproved of remarks such as "Naxals" or "Khalists" in the context of protesting farmers and said "allegations should not be made by anyone" against them.
He said the government was "pained" by the protest by farmers.
He suggested that farmers who are protesting against three farm laws should engage in a logical debate on every clause with the government.
His remarks came ahead of the next round of talks between the protesting farmers and the government.
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi over attacks on the government over farm laws, the Defence Minister has said that he knows more about agriculture than the Congress leader as he was born in an agriculture family to a farmer-mother and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also born in a poor family.
He said that agriculture laws were in favour of farmers and talks should not be held with "yes or no" mindset.
The remarks of the minister came ahead of the sixth round of talks between the government and the farm unions protesting against the new farm laws enacted by the government.
The minister said that farmers should hold clause by clause talks on the three laws and the government will make amendments if there is a need to do so.
Rajnath Singh, a former union agriculture minister, said the government is totally sensitive towards farmers and the poor of the country and "their pain is our pain".
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday directed police to take action against those who were vandalising mobile towers in the state.
Amid reports of disconnection of power supply to various mobile towers across the state, he appealed to protesting farmers not to inconvenience people with such actions but "to continue to exercise the same restraint as they had been showing over the past several months of their agitation".
( With inputs from ANI )
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