Former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday said the BJP-led government at the Centre was repeating the blunders of the past Congress rulers and was “resorting to the same anti-Punjab and anti-farmer conspiracies” to provoke farmers and youth.
“This can have serious consequences for peace in the sensitive border State and for the stability in the country since farmers struggle is a national issue,” said Mr. Badal, accusing the Centre of betraying farmers and their organisations on what he termed as the “so called meeting” in New Delhi on the farm laws.
Mr. Badal said the Prime Minister should have found time to meet farmers instead of sending a faceless bureaucrat to “preach to them”. “If the PM was too busy, the meeting could have been rescheduled. The farmers did the right thing by coming out and refusing to walk into the conspiracy,” he said.
“The Centre has messed up a great opportunity. The opportunity had been created by the farmers’ organisations through their large-hearted and constructive response to the Centre’s invite. But the Centre chose to play games and indulge in doublespeak.”
Mr. Badal demanded that all the farm laws must be scrapped and the farmers organisations be consulted on the way forward. “The farmers’ loss is the loss of the entire nation. The black laws are against not just farmers but also farm labourers, mandi labour, commission agents, small traders and shopkeepers,” he said.
Mr. Badal accused Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of “acting totally at the behest of the BJP government in trying to sabotage the farmers’ movement. Capt. Amarinder recently sent his Ministers to farmers to mislead them into withdrawing their just struggle and end the road and rail roko,” alleged Mr. Badal.