Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday urged the Central Government not to take any “reckless or repressive” steps that might deepen festering emotional wounds in the farmers’ minds and weaken the sacred cause of peace and communal harmony in the country.
“Do not repeat the Congress’ blunders of divide and rule. Do nothing that weakens national unity or disturbs peace and communal harmony for which Punjabis, specially the SAD, have made supreme sacrifices,” read a resolution passed by the SAD Core Committee during its meeting, presided over by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Giving details, Principal Advisor to party president Harcharan Bains said that the SAD will observe the party’s centenary as “Sangharsh Samarpan Divas” for Sarbat da Bhala, with focus on farmers’ interests and justice for them.
He said that the SAD would fully safeguard peace and communal harmony in Punjab and the rest of the country at all costs and will expose and defeat every conspiracy against these ideals.
Asking the Government not to be stubborn or stand on prestige against the country’s annadaata, the SAD resolution asked, “If the Government is willing to change every clause of the old Acts, then why is it standing on prestige to revoke them? After all, if you are conceding all demands of the farmers, why not put it all in the new Act and end the debate once and for all?”
The party strongly condemned the “deep rooted conspiracy” to paint the movement of the patriotic farmers in communal and separatist colours.
The resolution also expressed deep concern and anxiety over “ominous signs of a deep conspiracy to divide Hindus and Sikhs and farmers and traders. This is an anti-national conspiracy and SAD will fight against it with all the resources at its disposal”.
“Farmers’ agitation is a people’s movement which is a totally peaceful, democratic, and secular movement. This is visible in the all round support to the Bharat Bandh lent by every section of society,” the party said.
The core committee also condemned the “traitorous role” played by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to weaken the movement in secret alliance with the Central Government. “He kept holding secret meetings with those in power at the Centre and his only input has been to try and cause divisions. Strangely, the Chief Minister of a predominantly agricultural state has no word of advice for the Centre as Captain telling the farmers only to be responsible,” it added.
Stating that the party “fully backs the farmers demands with regard to the three Acts”, the SAD said that the totally peaceful and democratic nature of the movement has proved that the farmers are fully alive to their responsibility towards the country.