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Harsimrat urges justice for Punjab farmers amid DAP and MSP crisis
Harsimrat said that both the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party were responsible for the plight of farmers in Punjab
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday appealed for justice to the farmers in Punjab who she claimed were being denied minimum support price (MSP) on paddy and are grappling with a severe shortage of DAP fertiliser. The MP also voiced concerns over erosion of Punjab’s right over Chandigarh criticising the recent approval of a proposal to allocate land in the Union Territory to Haryana for construction of a separate vidhan sabha.
During the winter session of parliament, Harsimrat said that both the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were responsible for the plight of farmers in the state.
“Our farmers had to sell short as they were continuously harassed in mandis on account of moisture content in their paddy crop. Also, they are facing DAP shortage as the Centre has reduced allocation of the fertiliser to Punjab,” Harsimrat said.
The Bathinda MP also registered her strong objection to the allocation of land in Haryana for construction of a separate vidhan sabha by Haryana. She said this was in violation of the Punjab Reorganization Act. She asserted that Chandigarh was an inalienable part of Punjab and should be transferred to the state immediately and called for halting the allocation of land to Haryana in the UT.
The SAD leader also expressed her anguish at the delay in the release of Sikh detainees whom she referred to as Bandi Singhs. She said that though the central government had issued a notification in 2019 to release all the Bandi Singhs, the same had not been done till now.
Harsimrat further criticised the Centre for delaying a decision on Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana’s mercy petition for twelve years and denying him parole and demanded the release of withheld funds for Punjab and fair compensation for land acquired for the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway under the Bharat Mala project.
