Farmers Movement Archive

Kept in dark by Centre, says Sukhbir Badal

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal led the ‘kisan march’ from Amritsar on Thursday contesting the farm Acts enacted by the NDA-led Union Government.The march commenced after Badal paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Akal Takht. Sukhbir said as per “panthic tradition”, the march had been started after taking Guru’s blessings.Accompanied by senior SAD leadership, including Bikram Singh Majithia, Virsa Singh Valtoha, Gulzar Singh Ranike and other local SAD leaders, the cavalcade proceeded towards Governor’s House in Chandigarh from Bhandari Bridge.“A memorandum would be submitted to the Punjab Governor urging the Centre and the President of India to repeal the farm Acts. For the purpose, a special session of both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha be convened to roll back ‘kaale kanoon’ (black laws) that have been designed to ruin the farming community,” he said.Snubbing Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik over his claims that the SAD leadership was taken into confidence when the three Bills were tabled in Parliament and that Sukhbir and Union minister Harsimrat Badal had endorsed these with signatures before they snapped ties for “self-interest”, he said: “If it were true, then show our signatures. We were kept in the dark. We were never consulted and no Cabinet meeting was held before passing the black laws. Rather, we had submitted in writing certain clauses for inclusion in the Bills. We were falsely assured these would be incorporated. That’s why we decided to part ways,” he said.The SAD started the march from three Takhts — Akal Takht (Amritsar); Takht Damdama Sahib (Bathinda), led by Harsimrat Badal; and Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, led by former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra.Terming it a ‘political drama’, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee state general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said the SAD had attempted to play the ‘panthic card’ in a bid to streamline its dwindling political graph.In Anandpur Sahib, thousands of SAD workers and farmers led by former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra and former Cabinet minister Daljit Singh Cheema took out a kisan march from Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib here today.

The Tribune

2020-10-02

Amritsar