As cheap gimmick to get into good books of farmer unions
Dubbing the SAD president’s sudden U-turn on the farm ordinances as a cheap gimmick to hoodwink the farming community, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday challenged Sukhbir Badal to quit the BJP-led Central Government to prove his party’s sincerity in the matter.
Pointing out that, as a member of the ruling alliance at the Centre, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was party to the Ordinances and had supported them unconditionally, the Chief Minister slammed Sukhbir over his party’s brazen double standards on the issue asking if the Akali leader was ready to vote against the Ordinances in the Parliament as and when the Central Government puts them to vote.
The Chief Minister termed as “total hogwash” the SAD’s so-called appeal to the Union Government not to present the three central agricultural ordinances for approval in the Parliament until all reservations expressed by farmer organisations were addressed.
The Chief Minister recalled Sukhbir’s assertion, during the all-party on the issue in June, that the Central Government had assured SAD that there would be no tinkering of the MSP.
“It is more than obvious now that the SAD president had lied then in a deliberate bid to mislead the farmers,” he said, adding that given his track record, nothing that Sukhbir was saying now on the issue could be believed or trusted in.
“SAD’s sudden decision to urge the Centre ‘not to rush through the Ordinances’ reflected their desperation to get back into the good books of the farmers unions or organizations with an eye on the Punjab Assembly elections, which were just about 18 months away,” he said.
Capt Amarinder trashed as completely fraudulent Sukhbir’s statement that SAD would hold talks in the coming days with ‘like-minded parties’ on the issue.
“The like-minded parties, including the Congress, had rejected outright the Ordinances in June during the all-party meeting. What were they doing then? Why did they not support our stand then?” he asked.
The Chief Minister also ridiculed the SAD decision on sending a delegation led by Sukhbir to meet the Central Government to discuss the concern of the farmers. The decision to approach the Centre had been taken by the all-party in June itself, he pointed out, questioning the Akalis’ belated move in this regard.
“Your wife is a union minister. Has she, even once, spoken for the farmers in the cabinet?” he asked Sukhbir, adding that, on the contrary, the presence of the Akalis in the Union Cabinet had ensured that the Congress-ruled Punjab continues to get step-motherly treatment from the Central Government.
Meanwhile, Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa also asked SAD chief to make it clear to the people of the State that ordinances brought in the name of agrarian reforms are pro-farmers or anti-farmers.
He also asked Sukhbir to make it clear whether his party would support or oppose these ordinances during the forthcoming Parliament session.
“Sukhbir Singh Badal is still misleading the people of Punjab on these anti-farmer ordinances by issuing baseless statements.
He is very well aware that these ordinances would be brought in the Parliament during this session and in the same format.
Thus, instead of pretending an appeal to the Central Government to introduce these ordinances only after allaying the fears of the farmers, Sukhbir should decide whether his party would propose any amendment or oppose these ordinances or will Akali Dal as per their earlier stand saying these ordinances pro farmers, will support these ordinances,” said Bajwa.
AGRI ORDINANCE, ELECTRICITY BILL WILL PUT PUNJAB MPS TO TEST: AAP
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab unit president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that the monsoon session of the Parliament, during which the three Agriculture Ordinances and Central Electricity Amendment Bill-2020 would be tabled, would test all parliamentarians of Punjab whether they stand with the State or against the peasants of Punjab or give up in greed of ministership. Mann appealed to all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from Punjab to speak in unison and vote against the Agriculture Ordinances and Electricity Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament starting from Monday.
“On the day of the introduction of Agriculture Ordinance, just as the eyes of people of Punjab will be on Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, I will raise the voice of people of Punjab inside the Parliament and state whether this party is in the interest of Punjab or against it,” he said.