Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers can't meet the farmers protesting for days in the cold and resolve the issue.
Talking to ANI during the Shiromani Akali Dal's protest in Parliament against the newly enacted farm laws Mr Badal said, "Farmers are out on the streets putting their lives at stake. Lakhs of farmers have lost their lives and the centre is not talking about it, not doing justice. If farmers can sit for days in the open and protest in this bitter cold, can the Prime Minister not go there and meet them. Can his ministers not visit the farmers, talk to them and make a decision?"
"Be it a digital budget or a paper budget, the common people remain unaffected by it. What matters is whatever is tabled in the budget. Whatever is being presented is anti-farmer, anti-poor. Then what is the benefit of this digital budget ''drama''," Mr Badal said while talking about the first-ever paperless budget.
Commenting about talks between the centre and the farmers, Mr Badal stated, "We can only talk to the PM when he meets us in person. Nine meetings have already taken place. The main aim of the Centre was to pretend that we want to talk but they never wished to talk about the issue. This is a public posture. If their hearts are clean, the matter will be solved within a minute."
While speaking about support letters on the farm laws being received by the Union Agriculture Minister Mr Badal said, "Are those genuine support letters? Our country has a very strong media network. Did any news channel show any person or organisation saying that they are in support of the laws?"
"The farmers of this nation do not want these laws. Not one farmer organisation has come in support of these laws," asserted Mr Badal.
The SAD MP further said, "I am very upset that despite having talks with several big parties like the Congress, they were quiet today. I again appeal to them that this fight is not only of the farmers'' or a particular party or faith but the fight of the entire nation."
"The farmers of this country want Parliament to take up the farmers' issue at utmost priority. I appeal to all the parties that we should set up a uniform platform and talk about the farmers' issue, for justice to them," he stated.
Further speaking about Captain Amarinder Singh's statement on Pakistan and Delhi violence during the Kisan tractor rally, Mr Badal stated, "Captain Amarinder Singh these days is speaking the language of the Centre. This is because the central government knows some of his weaknesses. Amarinder Singh should be ashamed of linking farmers with Pakistan. These are farmers who have produced food for the nation for years.
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