Beniwal announces split from NDA over farm laws

The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) on Saturday announced that it was breaking away from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in protest against the three farm laws brought by the Centre.

The announcement was made by RLP chief and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal at a rally at Shahjahanpur in Rajasthan’s Alwar district.

“Am I stuck to NDA with Fevicol? Today I announce that in protest against the farm laws, and after seeing problems that the farmers are facing, I am leaving NDA,” he said. Beniwal, a prominent Jat leader, said if the government is ready to withdraw the laws, then talks on the question of the alliance will remain open.

“When these three Bills were brought in Lok Sabha, Hanuman Beniwal was not in the House. I was kept out of Lok Sabha on the pretext of a false Covid-19 report. Had I been there and these Bills were introduced, I would have torn and thrown them,” he said.

RLP contested 2019 General Election in alliance with BJP, Beniwal being its lone MP. The party has three MLAs.

Ex-Punjab MP quits BJP

Meanwhile, former Punjab MP Harinder Singh Khalsa has quit the BJP, accusing its leadership of an indifferent attitude towards protesting farmers.

With PTI inputs from punjab