Repeal amendments to APMC Act, Akali Dal dares Navjot Sidhu

Akali Dal says fresh utterances of Punjab Congress chief Sidhu indicate that he is keen on playing a game of one-upmanship with chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and has no intention to do anything to ensure that amendments to the Act are repealed

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday asked Punjab Congress president Navjot Sidhu “not to try to befool people by raking up old issues” and dared him to muster courage to repeal the amendments made in the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act by his government if he was serious about helping the cause of farmers.

Akali Dal spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema alleged that Sidhu was trying to project himself as a sympathiser of the farmers even though he has done nothing to repeal the amendments to the farm laws. (HT photo)

In a press statement, SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said Sidhu’s fresh utterances indicate that he is keen on playing a game of one-upmanship with chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and has no intention of doing anything to ensure repeal of the three agriculture laws.

The SAD leader said Amarinder woke up and realised the damage the three black laws were doing to Punjab two days back, nearly one year after they were passed by Parliament. “Now, Sidhu has also woken up from his slumber and wants to project himself as a sympathiser of the farmers even though he has done nothing to support their cause in the last one year,” he said.

On the 2013 Act passed during the SAD-BJP tenure, Cheema said Sidhu seemed to have forgotten that his wife was a chief parliamentary secretary in the then government.

“Sidhu had also failed to dig up files and details of the Congress’ response to the Act. He should tell if he had ever objected to the 2013 Act as minister in the Congress government in 2017 and even later? It is only now with elections months away that you are taking up this issue to cover up your failures,” he added.