The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday said the party will hold a State-wide chakka jam (road block) on September 25 in protest against the farm Bills.
A decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s core committee, which was presided over by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal. It was also decided that the SAD president would visit various parts of the State from September 26 to 29 to interact with the party cadre.
Party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said party leaders and workers have been asked to hold the chakka jam in all constituencies in league with farmers, farm labourers and commission agents. “The party will observe a three-hour programme from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Party workers have, however, been asked not to come in the way of emergency services,” he said.
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Regional parties
He said the core committee also decided to contact all like-minded regional parties across the country to evolve a joint strategy to forge a united fight to get the anti-farmer Bills revoked. “It also resolved to pursue all logical steps to ensure the discrimination being meted out to the farmers was removed,” he added.
The Chief Minister can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hound, he said, further asking him to tell the farmers and farm labourers of Punjab as to why he was refusing to rescind the State APMC Act, 2017, which he implemented in his own State as Chief Minister.
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Mr. Badal said the Chief Minister was responsible for amending the State APMC Act in 2017 to allow the creation of private yards, e-trading and direct marketing. “The special Assembly session should also discuss the Congress party’s role in the framing of the agricultural Ordinances which became Bills recently.”
He said the State government was a member of the high-powered committee which framed the Ordinances. “Subsequently the Congress government even sent a note to the Centre agreeing with many of the provisions of the Ordinances. Farmers want to know why the Chief Minister kept this entire exercise secret and why he did not take any clearance from farmers before taking a decision which would destroy their future generations,” added Mr. Badal.