Farmers Movement Archive

‘Neither CM nor PM talking to stakeholders’: Badal on protests against farm bills

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh have taken any steps to address the issues raised by farmers.Speaking to news agency ANI, Badal said, “Captain Amarinder Singh should have gone to Delhi. Neither the chief minister is ready to do anything, nor the Prime Minister of the country is ready to do anything.”He further added, “It is very sad that the central government has not yet found a way to resolve these laws (agricultural laws) in collaboration with farmer organisations or other political organisations. I request the PM to call a meeting of all organisations and listen to their doubts.”The passage of the bills saw SAD ending its 25-year-long friendship with Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and its leader and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigning from her cabinet post.Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had criticised Badal on several occasions despite SAD moving out of the NDA. He called the exit from the alliance a compulsion. “The SAD decision to quit NDA was just the culmination of their saga of lies and deception, which eventually led to them being cornered on the issue of the bills,” Singh had said.He had said that SAD leaders should beg for forgiveness from the nation’s farmers for supporting the passage of these bills.The Centre passed three bills to push agrarian reforms in the monsoon session of Parliament. The government has come under criticism from farmers’ organisations as well opposition parties after the passage of these bills. Several protests and rallies have been held in Punjab, Haryana and other states by farmers to voice their grievances against the new laws.

Hindustan Times

11-10-2020

Chandigarh