Tabling of farm ordinances exposed Akali Dal: Punjab CM

Chandigarh, Sep 15 Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the tabling of the farm ordinances in Parliament by the Centre had totally exposed the farce of the Shiromani Akali Dal's pretence of protecting the interests of the farmers of the state.

With the BJP-led NDA government going ahead with laying the ordinances on the table of the House on the very first day of the Parliament session, instead of accepting the SAD's so-called plea to defer them, the Akali charade on the issue had been laid bare, said the Chief Minister.

The fact that Sukhbir Singh Badal had stayed away from the House on Monday, when the ordinances were presented for legislation, showed that the entire drama of seeking postponement of their enactment was played out by the SAD President to appease the farmer organisations, which have been up in arms against the ordinances, Amarinder Singh said.

There is clearly a conspiracy to undermine the farmers' interests and that of the states, which are constitutionally mandated to be responsible for agriculture, said the Chief Minister, asking "why else would Sukhbir conveniently remain away from Parliament on the opening day itself?"

The SAD President knew all along that the ordinances, which had the explicit stamp of Akali approval, would be brought to the House for legislation, he added.

This is what the Akalis had done in the Vidhan Sabha during the one-day session too, he pointed out, adding that even then the SAD had chosen not to attend to avoid having to vote for the anti-ordinances resolution.

Amarinder Singh said the SAD, which had endorsed the anti-farmer and anti-federal ordinances as part of the ruling coalition at the Centre, was now indulging in the drama of seeking clarifications and amendments to the ordinances for the consumption of the farmer organisations and unions, which had seen through their gimmickry.

"You think the people of Punjab, and the farmers, are fools? They are not going to be taken in by your theatrics and pretensions of shedding crocodile tears," the Chief Minister said to Sukhbir.

These pathetic attempts to woo the farmer vote-bank ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections would backfire on the Akalis, as it had done in 2017, he added.

( With inputs from IANS )