Refusal of Akalis to quit NDA shows their extent of greed: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday said the adamant refusal of the Akalis to quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition showed the extent of their greed and desperation to cling to power.

The fact that the Shirom Akali Dal (SAD) is holding on to vestiges of power it continues to enjoy at the cost of Punjab and its farmers, despite being publicly humiliated by the alliance partner, the BJP, had exposed the Akalis' dual standards and total lack of concern for the farming community," Amarinder Singh said in a statement.

He was referring to BJP's statement that it had left the task of convincing the farmers on the Agriculture Bills to the SAD.

"Why else are the Akalis still a part of the anti-farmer and anti-people BJP-led Government at the Centre, which had conspired with large corporate houses to deprive the farmers of their livelihood and, in the process, ruin Punjab?" the Chief Minister quipped, adding that the SAD was still trying hard to stay politically afloat by hook or by crook.

After the politically motivated resignation of Harsimrat Kaur from the Union Cabinet, SAD president Sukhbir Badal was widely expected to pull his party out of the Union Government, but that did not happen, Singh pointed out, deriding the Akali leader for his shameful double-speak.

Singh said SAD had completely lost any political credibility or standing after their antics on the new laws. "The Badals will go down in Akali history as the leaders responsible for the party's destruction," he said.

"From the farmers' resentment against them to their fallout with the BJP, the Akalis seem to be heading towards total elimination from Punjab's political arena," said Singh, adding that people of the state, especially the farmers, will not forgive the Badals for their deception and dishonesty.

Taking a dig at Sukhbir's remark that Harsimrat's resignation from the central cabinet was like 'an atom bomb that had shaken the Prime Minister', the Chief Minister said, "It was not even a damp squib of a fizzled out fire-cracker. The Prime Minister, and his BJP, do not care for the Akalis, as is evident from the former's criticism of their alliance partner, and also the promptness with which Harsimrat's resignation was accepted."

It seems the BJP wants to go it alone in the Punjab Assembly polls. The stage seems set for the NDA to throw out SAD if the latter does not quit the ruling coalition on its own, he said.

The Chief Minister also lashed out at the Akali president's attempt to take credit for the successful farmers' agitation and yesterday's Bharat or Punjab Bandh, terming as atrocious Sukhbir's reported statement that the SAD had orgsed the state-wide protests.

( With inputs from ANI )