Shiv Sena to support farmers’ stir over laws

Delegation of SAD meets CM to discuss interference of Centre into rights of states; wants to form strong oppn against BJP

In a significant step by political parties that are in Opposition on national level, a delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday met Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray over various contentious issues, including the “interference of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre into the rights of the state governments”.

DGIPR

The SAD and the Shiv Sena have decided to join hands to support the ongoing farmers’ protests on the borders of New Delhi for the past 10 days, demanding the abolition of the newly introduced farm laws. National Opposition parties, including various regional outfits, have also given a call for Bharat Bandh on December 8.

Leaders from key political parties that form the national Opposition are expected to meet in Delhi in the next couple of weeks to discuss the course of action.

“We have held meetings with a few regional parties and are meeting leaders from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, All India Trinamool Congress with the common intention of opposing the Centre’s intervention in the states’ rights. The Centre has been suppressing the rights of the states in state subjects, including law and order, agriculture, finances. In the garb of cybercrime, the Centre is intervening in law and order. By passing the farm laws, it intends to overtake the state’s powers of agriculture marketing. The goods and services tax (GST) regime has already shrunk the state’s resources. We want to collectively oppose this attempt,” by SAD vice-president and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who led the delegation to Thackeray’s official bungalow, Varsha, said.

The SAD leader also said the delegation could not meet Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai due to time constraint. “We have already met him in Delhi and will have another meeting in the national capital in the next two weeks. SAD is taking the lead to give a combative Opposition to the ruling BJP. The decision about the leadership of the front will be taken collectively,” he said.

In a statement issued by his office, Thackeray said, “The SAD delegation discussed their stand on the ongoing protest. The farmers are the backbone of the country and we should give supreme priority to their issues and demands.”

The SAD had quit the BJP-led NDA in September to protest against the Centre’s new farm laws, saying they were “anti-farmer”. The Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP last year after it formed the government in Maharashtra with the NCP and Congress. The two saffron parties fell apart over the issue of sharing the chief ministership after the Assembly polls last October.

Pawar has recently spoken about the need for a combative front against the BJP. In an interview to Marathi newspaper Lokmat’s YouTube channel, Pawar said there are many parties that do not stand with the BJP’s policies that are not in the interest of the nation and are openly speaking against them. “West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been taking the BJP head on consistently. In such a scenario , other parties like the Congress and Left should come forward, keep the differences aside and join hands with leaders like Mamata. It could not happen because of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past few months, but I think it can happen during the forthcoming Parliament session (in February),” he said.

Thackeray, during his virtual meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and few other non-BJP-ruled CMs in August, had pressed for the need to come together to fight against the Centre to safeguard the federal structure. He had also said that they should not allow anybody to take away the rights of the states given to them by the Constitution.