Chandigarh, Aug 4 (UNI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday condemned Ludhiana Congress MP Ravneet Bittu for allegedly heckling former union minister and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal while the latter was protesting in solidarity with farmers outside Parliament and said Bittu had acted like a hatchet man of the NDA government.
“It is clear that the NDA government is perturbed by the continuous protest by SAD-BSP MPs against the three agriculture laws and used Bittu to heckle and misbehave with the former union minister”, SAD spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema.
“This kind of rowdy behavior against a fellow MP of Punjab is not becoming of Bittu and Punjabis across party lines are feeling aggrieved by his actions. The need of the hour was to show unity with farmers and the Kisan Andolan but Bittu has through his actions has hurt the cause of the farmers,” he said.
Dr Cheema asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to tell Punjabis whether he had deputed Bittu to disrupt the peaceful protest against the three farm laws. He said the Congress party had exposed itself when party President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had both absented themselves from the Lok Sabha when the three agriculture bills were taken up for voting.
The SAD leader said similarly when the bills were taken up for voting in the Rajya Sabha as many as 33 Congress MPs absented themselves and allowed the easy passage of the bills.
He also asked Bittu with what face he was asking questions from Harsimrat Badal who was the sole minister to have resigned from the cabinet in solidarity with farmers after voting against the three agriculture bills.
He said in stark contrast Bittu as well as the Congress party had refused to vote against the bills in the Lok Sabha. “Bittu should be ashamed of his actions and should apologize for his conduct”, he added.
UNI DB PS1832