The February 14 local body elections in Punjab, to be held amid the ongoing farm protests against the three central farm laws, would be a litmus test for the political parties ahead of the legislative assembly elections early next year. SAD president and Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Singh Badal shares his views with Sanjeev Verma on the Republic Day farmers’ tractor rally incidents in Delhi and elections to municipal bodies .
When the Union government has refused to repeal the three contentious agri laws, do you think farmers should agree to its offer of putting these laws on hold for the next 18 months?
It is basically what the Centre decides, only then will farmers decide. Why can’t the Centre repeal these laws and set up a committee of farmers and the central government experts to work out a fresh law which will be good and mutually beneficial. Let them be a part of the committee. Law should be made keeping in view the stakeholders. Laws should not be such which stakeholders don’t like.
How do you see the Republic Day incident of some protesters hoisting the Nishan Sahib and a farmers’ flag on a flagpole meant for the national flag at the Red Fort and resorting to vandalism?
First of all, I condemn violence. Violence is not what I support. But the issue is you can’t use that incident to defame the agitation. Even before this incident, they (Centre) were trying to make it a movement of a particular religion, and then calling it a terrorist movement or a Khalistani movement.
They have been trying their best to use every opportunity to defame this agitation, which they have been doing in other agitations also. Anybody who suits the central government is a nationalist and who doesn’t is not a nationalist. They are nobody to decide who is a nationalist and who is not.
As you have announced legal help for farmers who are missing or have been behind bars since January 26, would your legal team also help actor Deep Sidhu, gangsterturned-social activist Lakha Sidhana and those who indulged in vandalism at the Red Fort?
I said the people who are involved in it, whoever contacts our SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) team. Let them come and contact them.
After the farmers’ protests against the central agri laws in Punjab, not only the BJP leaders but even the SAD leaders faced protests from farmers for having an alliance with the BJP. How do you see this?
SAD never faced protests. These were protests organised by the Congress. We exposed them openly and caught them. Congress was using police and the organisation to show all this. Congress is not even a farmers’ organisation. Only the Shiromani Akali Dal is a farmers’ organisation.
The municipal bodies’ elections would be the first litmus test for political parties after the farmers’ protests started in Punjab. How prepared is SAD to face these elections after parting ways with the BJP, which is believed to have a strong base in urban segments?
These elections are simply a farce, and our candidates have not been allowed to file their nominations. All our winning candidates and their nomination papers have been rejected. Do you call this an election where people can’t even file their nomination papers? You can’t call it an election. Today, I said the Election Commission should wind up. The state election commissioner is nothing but an employee of the Punjab CM and he does nothing. He just takes orders from the CM from morning till evening. He doesn’t deserve to be a state election commissioner. I think he is a blot on the election commission office.
What do you have to say about the Jalalabad incident, where stones were also pelted on your vehicle during the filing of nomination papers and both SAD and Congress workers were injured?
This is exactly what I am saying. They (Congress) don’t want that. Day before that, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates were going to file their nominations and the Congress goons tore up the papers and thrashed them. I accompanied my people as they were very scared of them. They attacked me also. As the police also ran away, it means they (police) were hand in glove with them.
Like other political party leaders, you were also allowed to visit the Ghazipur border protest site to meet BKU leader Rakesh Tikait after the Republic Day incident. Do you think farmer unions have now softened their stand as they were earlier either not meeting any politician or were heckling them?
I don’t have to get a certificate from anybody for softening or not. We visited Ghazipur because I felt Tikait Sahib, after the way they (Centre) treated him, was the person who was able to give a big boost to this campaign. We went to honour him. We hope the farmers’ movement becomes stronger so that these farm laws are repealed.
When is your party going to convene a joint meeting with other like-minded regional parties to come up with a national front of regional parties on the issue of federalism?
We are already working on it. Harsimrat (Bathinda MP) led a delegation with a lot of regional party leaders to the farmers’ protest site. She, along with other leaders, was stopped. So we would be continuing it after the Parliament session and after these municipal bodies’ elections.
The SAD has many factions or splinter groups. When the party is now trying to bring together other regional parties on one platform, why cannot it do the same with its factions?
We don’t have any faction. These are names of those who are Congress party agents. They try to give names which have nothing to do with SAD. These are people who have stabbed the Shiromani Akali Dal in the back. Whatever they are today is because of the party. We don’t need such traitors now. We have a party which is strong on its own.
Don’t you think that these splinter groups would dent your vote bank?
No, not at all. I think people were so fed up with them that their leaving our party has given a big boost to the SAD.