Punjab CM slams Akalis for ‘political theatrics’ over farm laws

Chandigarh, Oct 2 : Formally launching the Congress signature campaign in the state against the ‘black’ farm laws, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday slammed the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for their “political theatrics” over Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s resignation from the Union Cabinet, which they were projecting as a big sacrifice instead of a duty towards Punjab.
Recalling that he himself had resigned from Parliament twice to uphold the interests of the state and its people, he said he had done it out of a sense of duty and never as a “sham sacrifice”, as had been done by Harsimrat Kaur.
Trashing the SAD protest over the agriculture laws as a “complete failure”, Amarinder Singh termed it as an attempt to vitiate the atmosphere of Punjab.
“Where were they when the state government moved a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha on August 28 seeking withdrawal of the anti-farmer ordinances and demanding that the Centre make MSP a statutory right,” he asked.
“Their gimmicks now would not help the Akalis woo the farmers, whose lives they themselves were party to destroying as allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),” he said, reiterating that his government will challenge the new laws constitutionally.
“This is not a political fight about the BJP or the Congress, but a fight about our Kisani, about Punjab, our vajood (existence),” the Chief Minister said, while addressing the state’s sarpanches virtually, on the sidelines of virtual inauguration of three projects to mark the birth anniversaries of father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri from the Civil Secretariat here.