Don’t deny farmers right to peaceful march on Republic Day: Akali Dal

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday asked the Central government not to deny farmers’ the constitutional right of a peaceful march on Republic Day, January 26.

Harcharan Singh Bains, principal advisor to the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that in its core committee meeting held here, the party viewed the Centre’s dragging of its feet over permission for a peaceful democratic march in Delhi as “grossly violative of the very Constitution which the Republic Day symbolises”.

He said the government could not have chosen a worse and more inappropriate day and occasion than January 26 to deny citizens of the country their fundamental democratic right to free expression as well as the right to organise democratic activity. “The farmers of the country have already declared that their peaceful march would be a celebration of the spirit of the very Constitution for which the nation observes Republic Day. The March by farmers would in fact be a reminder that India is a democratic Republic and is neither a monarchy nor dictatorial set up. The government should in fact thank the farmers and facilitate the March,” said a resolution passed at the meeting, according to Mr. Bains.

Mr. Bains said that the core committee also hit out at the Central government, accusing it of abusing the powers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against farmers. “It is really reprehensible that the government is taking resort to such draconian measures against the country’s peaceful bread winners (annadata) who have not given law enforcing agencies a single excuse in over two months to complain of any violation of peace or law and order. It is really absurd that the government sees a threat to peace and security from law-abiding citizens,” he said.