Akali Dal pledges support to farmers’ protest

Former National Democratic Alliance (NDA) associate Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) pledged support to the protesting farmers and decried what they termed have been makes an attempt by the federal government to “play games” with the farmers’ unions that led, in accordance to them, to the violence on Republic Day.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal stated he had a phone dialog with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Rakesh Tikait and instructed him that the get together would support his group’s efforts in full. “I spoke to Rakesh Tikaitji and assured him of Akali Dal’s unstinted support to the kisan andolan [farmers’ protest]. I lauded his principled stand against Central oppression. We also reminisced about how our fathers fought as one for the cause of the farmers and resolved to do the utmost to ensure their victory,” Mr. Badal stated. The SAD had walked out of the ruling NDA through the monsoon session of Parliament final 12 months when the three contentious farm legal guidelines have been cleared by each Houses.

Former Union Minister Harsimrat Badal stated it was regrettable that “there was not a single word in the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament about the 100 or more farmers who have died protesting against the three laws”.

“The government is trying to crush the protests. Their ‘tandav’ [dance of fury] over the emotions of the farmers is very open. A game was played very skilfully on January 26 on innocent farmers who did not know the roads of Delhi. We condemn violence, but let us not be blind to fact that the government has stooped to low means to deflect from the real issues just because they don’t want to deal with it,” she stated.

The get together had joined 18 different political events in boycotting President Ram Nath Kovind’s joint deal with to each Houses of Parliament, and MPs from the get together stood in protest exterior the House all through the speech.