Chandigarh, July 28

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Centre of showing “utter insensitivity” towards the “genuine” demands of the farmers who are protesting against three contentious farm laws.

Badal said it was shocking that the union government was trying to “defame” the farmers by stating that they were not ready to hold talks on these laws when the issue was of repeal of the three “black laws”.

“The entire farming community wants the three laws to be repealed. The government should do so and then hold talks on ways and means to give a further boost to the agricultural economy,” said Badal in a party statement here.

The SAD president said the MPs of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party had shown solidarity with farmers by holding protest in Parliament on this issue.

“We will continue our protest till the union government accepts the demands of the farmers,” said Badal.

Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November last year demanding that the three farm laws be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.

However, the government has maintained the laws are pro-farmer.

Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over the three Central legislations.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Darshan Lal Sharma joined the SAD in the presence of Badal here.

Sharma was a secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress, besides being a block samiti member for 15 years, the SAD said in a statement. PTI