Channi meets Shah, demands action in Lakhimpur Kheri case

New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Tuesday evening met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and demanded strict action against the accused who trampled on the farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Talking to the media after the meeting, he said, "I raised the issue of Lakhimpur Kheri violence with the Home Minister and said that such incidents cannot be tolerated."

I also demanded that the Congress leaders should be allowed to visit Lakhimpur Kheri where the violent incident happened on October 4, he added.

During the 45-minute long meeting with the Home Minister, Channi also discussed the security situation of the state and demanded that the border must be sealed properly to effectively prevent the smuggling of weapons from Pakistan.

The newly elected CM also said that he discussed the reopening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and the Home Minister assured him that a decision on this issue will be taken soon.

Talking about the farmers' protest against the three farm laws, he said that he requested Shah that the Centre should take back these laws.

This was his second visit to the national capital and first meeting with Amit Shah after he became the Chief Minister.

Earlier, Channi came to Delhi after taking the command of the state to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1 and raised the three major issues of Punjab farmers with the Prime Minister in his first official meeting.

During the meeting with the PM, he raised the issue of the delay in procurement of Paddy in Punjab and also raised the three contentious farm laws as the prolonged agitation was damaging the agriculture driven economy of Punjab whose people had fought and died for the country.