As the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kickstarted his three-day tractor rally in Punjab from Sunday against the Centre’s three farm laws, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has put up hoardings in Bathinda posing five questions to the party MP over the issue.
The questions were asked by the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who has also launched a massive protest against the Central Government, of which Akali Dal was also part but decided to part ways in protest.
Sukhbir asked Rahul, “Did your party’s 2017 election manifesto in Punjab say that you will open private ‘mandis’ and give permission for e-trading the contract farming which is in force now? If so, why haven’t you repealed the amended APMC Act in Punjab till now?”
“Did you in your 2019 election manifesto state that you will abolish the APMC Act altogether and make agri-trade free from all restrictions? Why did you choose to leave the country one day before the Agri Bills were to be taken up in Parliament and come back the day they became Acts? Also why didn’t you issue a whip to your MPs to vote against the Bills and field senior leaders to oppose them?” asked Sukhbir in the queries printed on flex boards installed at various places in Bathinda.