Chandigarh/November 26 – Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal today came down heavily against the BJP governments in Haryana as well as at the center for “ outraging the Constitution on the Constitution Adoption Day itself in dealing with the peacefully and democratically protesting farmers. I strongly condemn the repression and persecution launched against the farmers in Haryana today,” he said, adding, “ the water cannon would not douse flames of democratic protest against injustice.”
In one of his strongest indictments of the Governments at the Center and in Haryana, ” Badal said that the Modi government ‘is treating Punjab as if it were not a part of the country. Are we not a part of India? Are farmers, traders and other common Punjabis not Indians?” he asked.
Referring to the growing repressive and trends in the country in recent times, Badal said, “They ruling the country as if it were a dictatorship. It’s a very sad day for the country when the Constitution of the country was openly flouted ( dhajjian udaaian gaeeian) by those who were tasked with protecting, safeguarding and implementing the constitution in letter and spirit,” said Mr Badal addressing a press conference here (Amritsar) this afternoon, visibly overcome with emotion .
The Akali leader said that the Center was inflicting the “second economic blockade on Punjab out of sheer vendetta against Punjab farmers , and that will hurt every Punjabi, be he a trader, a businessman, a farmer or an employee.”
Badal minced no words in putting the blame squarely on the BJP governments at the center and in Haryana, saying that the Chief Minsiter Monohar Lal Khattar had acted under instructions of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to deal with the “annadata of the country exactly as one would deal with an enemy of the nation. This, he said, was a painful mirror image of what Mr Bhajan Lal had done under instructions from Indira Gandhi against the peacefully protesting Punjabis in 1982, stopping and humiliating every Punjabi, including highly decorated Generals on the eve of the Asiad.
Reiterating the SAD was “fully, whole heartedly and actively a part of the farmers struggle, Badal said that his party was the largest farmers organization in the world in which every Akali is a farmer. He directed every member of the party to ensure the success of the farmers cause. He re-iterated his appeal to the SGPC and DSGMC to render all kinds of assistance to the agitating and beleaguered farmers.
The Akali leader was sharply critical of the Punjab CM “for abandoning the farmers in their hour of need”, he said , “ As farmers cause is a national cause, both Captain Amaridner Singh and Monohar Lal Khattar should have joined the farmers instead of either sitting at home engaged in other pursuits or simply blocking the farmers’ “fair, just and constitutional struggle.”
Badal said that the SAD had fully respected the wishes and sentiments of farmers organizations and refrained from “any separate political activity on this issue. Instead, we will be led by them and will obey whatever orders they give us. We simply want justice for farmers because farmers are us.”
He said that the farmers issues “transcended political divisions and it affected not just every farmer but every Indian, as the Annadata serves everyone’s cause. “I appeal to all political parties, organisations and individuals to cut across political or ideological divisions to make common cause with the beleaguered farmers. “
