Amarinder Singh has pointed out that Akali Dal is still part of the NDA.
Chandigarh:
Punjab Prime Minister Amarinder Singh today issued a fierce reply to opposition Akali Dal after his only Union minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned. “Too little, too late” and a “trick” was how he put it, pointing out that the party has not separated from the BJP, which is the architect of the controversial agricultural sector bills.
Amid pressure on Akali Dal for the BJP ally’s bills, Harsimrat Kaur resigned from his cabinet post to Pm Modi shortly before the vote in Lok Sabha. In a tweet, she later said that she was “proud to support farmers like her daughter and sister.”
Sukhbir Badal, her husband and head of Akali Dal, the BJP’s oldest ally, said the party will provide external support to the government.
“Harsimrat Kaur’s decision to resign from the Union Cabinet is yet another in the long chain of theatricals being enacted by @Akali_Dal, who has not yet left the ruling coalition. It is not motivated by any concern for farmers, but to save their own waning political fortunes. Too little, too late, “Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted.
Harsimrat Kaur’s decision to leave the Union Cabinet is another in a long string of theatricals he is running. @Akali_Dal_ that he has not yet left the ruling coalition. He is motivated not by any concern for farmers, but rather to save his own dwindling political fortunes. Too little and too late.
– Captain Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 17, 2020
“But they (the Akalis) will not be able to fool the farmers’ organizations,” he said.
The resignation of Harsimrat Kaur from the Union Cabinet has come too late to be of any help to Punjab and its farmers, the Chief Minister said.
If the Akalis had taken a stand earlier and supported their government against the ordinances, the Center could have carefully considered the issue before introducing the ordinances and pushing the legislation against farmers in Parliament, Singh said.
Calling the BJP bills “anti-farmers”, Punjab farmers have been holding large protests across the state. They demand that all invoices be withdrawn. Various farmer groups have also warned that they would not allow any MP who voted for the bills to go to the villages.
Yesterday, Mr. Singh met with the Governor and asked him to intervene with the Center regarding the bills. The BJP says the bills are part of the agricultural sector reforms and will help farmers obtain better markets and prices for their products.
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