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Sukhbir slams attack on BJP state chief, says no place for violence in democracy
In a statement, Sukhbir called the attack the work of “anti-social forces who wanted to sabotage the ongoing kisan agitation against the agricultural marketing laws”.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday condemned the attack on Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Punjab unit chief Ashwani Sharma, stating that there was no place for violence in democracy.
In a statement, Sukhbir called the attack the work of “anti-social forces who wanted to sabotage the ongoing kisan agitation against the agricultural marketing laws”.
He said nothing could be achieved by resorting to violent activities. “Those resorting to such attacks can never be well-wishers of the farming community,” he added.
The SAD president also asked the Congress government to come down heavily on anti-social forces that were being used to defame the farmers’ cause and not encourage them in any manner whatsoever. “We are very clear that farmers cannot indulge in any such actions and we will oppose any attempt to blame them,” Sukhbir said.
Call spl emergency session: SAD to speaker
The SAD’s legislative wing on Tuesday asked Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana KP Singh to call a special emergency session to enact new legislation to make the entire state a “single marketing yard”, annul the amended APMC Act of 2017, and announce that three central agriculture laws will not be implemented in Punjab.
In a representation to the speaker, the SAD MLAs led by legislature party leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said the new agriculture laws were an attack on the federal structure and the state assembly should act like a bulwark to ensure the powers of the states were safeguarded. “We cannot stand as mute spectators when the powers of the state are being steadily diluted,” they told the speaker.
Claiming that Punjab and Punjabis were facing an existential crisis, the Akali legislators, including Bikram Singh Majithia and Gurpartap Singh Wadala, told the speaker “the time to save the annadaata from utter ruin is now”. They said this could be done by enacting a legislation to safeguard the farmers of Punjab from the ill-effects of the agriculture laws.
Govt trying to sabotage farmers’ struggle: AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday accused Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh of indulging in ‘skullduggery’ by unsuccessfully trying to ‘torpedo’ the farmers’ struggle against the three new laws.
In a statement here, AAP MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Budhram said their party would not allow the Congress government to succeed in its ‘evil designs’. “The state government has been repeatedly stating that there was an acute shortage of essential commodities due to the ‘rail roko’, but it should tell us about the steps it took to prevent it because the farm organisations had announced their agitation months ago,” they said.
Sandhwan said the chief minister should have taken care of all the essentials well before the farmers’ agitation, and sought his resignation for ‘failing’ to run a government.
Videoconference with farmers a sham: Former minister Mann
Describing the videoconference between Union ministers and farmers a sham, former Punjab minister and chairman of Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Joginder Singh Mann on Tuesday questioned why didn’t the Union government do this exercise before passing the “anti-farmer” ordinances.
In a statement issued here, Mann said this was a futile attempt to mislead the farmers and arhtiyas. “Had the central government been sincere, then it would have passed the ordinance after due consultation with the farmers,” he added.
He also slammed the Centre for not releasing the state’s share of GST despite several reminders.