Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday ridiculed the Shiromani Akali Dal’s decision to set up a panel to hold talks with the State’s farmers, saying no overtures could absolve the “Badals” of their responsibility in thrusting the laws on the farming community.
‘Akalis’ apathy’
He said that the Badals themselves were at the root of the problem, and the co-conspirators of the Centre’s anti-farmer agenda, and hence the Akalis neither deserve nor can expect any understanding or forgiveness from the farmers.
“The Akalis’ apathy towards the farmers was evident from the fact that even now, instead of understanding and relating with the pain of the farmers, SAD president Sukhbir Badal was refusing to simply recognise the protestors as farmers and was insulting them by alleging that they owed allegiance to other political parties, including the Congress,” said Capt. Amarinder in a statement.
He termed Mr. Badal’s announcement of suspension of the SAD’s election outreach programme and formation of the panel to engage with the farmers as a desperate measure to woo Punjab’s voters ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.
“But the farmers, and the people of Punjab are not fools, and your attempts to befool them with lies will backfire on you,” he warned the SAD president.
‘Akalis rejected’
Capt. Amarinder added that the State had completely and unequivocally rejected the Akalis, who had misruled the State for 10 years in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party and then worked hand in glove with them to impose the farm laws on the farmers.
