SAD ready to make any sacrifice for farmers, will decide on continuing in NDA later: Sukhbir

NEW DELHI: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will decide on whether to remain in the ruling NDA or not in a meeting of the party later, its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday after party leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal submitted her resignation from the Union Cabinet in protest against three farm sectors bills.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Badal said the SAD is ready to make any sacrifice for farmers and their welfare.

The party's future course of action and whether to stay in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or not will be decided in a party meeting later, he said.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who submitted her resignation to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), told reporters, "I don't want to be part of a government which brought farm sector bills without addressing apprehensions of farmers."

Her resignation came soon after her husband and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal strongly opposed the bills in Lok Sabha, claiming that they will "destroy" the agriculture sector in Punjab, and announced that the Union minister will quit the government in protest.

In his speech during a discussion on two of the farm bills -- the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill -- in Lok Sabha, Sukhbir Singh Badal said the proposed laws will "destroy" the 50 years of hard work put in by successive Punjab governments and farmers to build the agriculture sector.

Lok Sabha passed the two bills by voice vote on Thursday.

Another bill related to the farm sector, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, was passed on Tuesday.

These three bills will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier.