At the dharna site, Sukhbir said, “There are a few miscreants in between, let us fight with them and let all farmers come under a common platform so to shake the ‘takht’ of Delhi and even Captain’s government.While protesting farmers unions in Punjab have repeatedly said that they do not want any political party’s support, SAD chief Sukhbir Badal on Friday said that all, including political outfits, should come together at a common platform to fight Centre.
Sukhbir led Akali Dal’s three-hour chakka jam at Lambi constituency on Malaut – Delhi national highway where he along with his wife, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Badal, participated in a dharna. The Badal couple arrived at the dharna site riding a tractor from Badal village to Lambi village, which is a distance of around 8 km.
At the dharna site, Sukhbir said, “There are a few miscreants in between, let us fight with them and let all farmers come under a common platform so to shake the ‘takht’ of Delhi and even Captain’s government.
He said, “Akali Dal can lead from the front for farmers of Punjab or even watch their back….We have no ego issues. Our duty is to fight for the rights of farmers.”
The SAD chief said that on October 1, party groups will start from Takht Damdama Sahib, Akal Takht and Takht Keshgarh Sahib towards Chandigarh in the form of Kisan March.
Meanwhile, SAD held large protests across the state as part of its ‘chakka jam’ programme to express solidarity with farmers even as it asked CM Amarinder Singh to call an immediate Cabinet meeting and pass an ordinance to declare the entire state as one mandi (Principal Market Yard) to ensure the central agricultural Bills are not enforceable in Punjab.
Sukhbir compared the resignation of Harsimrat Badal with “atom bomb” which was dropped on Japan during World War II as he said,
“When Japan was a super power, America had dropped an atom bomb on it and had shaken that entire country. Similarly, Harsimrat Badal’s resignation has come as an atom bomb for the BJP and it has shaken PM Narendra Modi. Now every day their ministers are explaining this Act, earlier they were all quiet. “
Harsimrat added, “When they passed first Bill based on strength of numbers, I told them that this will not work. They rather told me that things will settle down in 10 days. However, I told them that farmers are not settling down for the past two and a half months and their struggle is being intensified, but they did not listen to me. I had no choice but to kick that chair of Union Cabinet.”
She said,” I told them, jawan is fighting at border, people are fighting with corona pandemic and hence at this time, they should not bring these Bills, farmers need to be heard, but I was not given any hearing and hence I quit….Whether we need to shake Delhi or Chandigarh, we will do it…. I appeal to all political parties to leave this rivalry and let us come on a common platform….Let us give this slogan: ‘Eko nara.. kisan piyara’.”
Taking on Amarinder Singh, Sukhbir said: “We want the Congress government to call a special session of Assembly to revoke the APMC Act amendment.” He also called AAP a B-team of the Congress.
Akali Dal said that it held chakka jam at all 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab.
At one such protest in Bathinda where the gathering of Akalis was thin, even a few ward-level workers of the BJP joined the SAD chakka jam.
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