Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday said that Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal should stop shedding crocodile tears over the plight of the farmers, whose very existence was threatened by the farm Ordinances passed by the Central government with the support of his party.
Having given its full backing to the Ordinances, which were clearly the first step towards elimination of the MSP regime, the SAD had lost all locus standi to even pretend to care about the farmers, said the CM. “Sukhbir should not forget that as Union minister, his wife and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was part of the Cabinet meeting that stamped its approval on the ordinances that will totally destroy Punjab’s farming community,” he added. Ridiculing the SAD president’s offer to lead a delegation of farmer organisations to seek clarification from the Centre on MSP, the CM said it was evident that Sukhbir was totally disconnected from the ground situation. He pointed out that the Ordinances, which were completely against India’s federal structure, were in line with the recommendations of the Shanta Kumar committee, which had also suggested dismantling the MSP structure. No purpose will be solved now by Sukhbir pretending concern about the farmers, whose interests his own party was instrumental in damaging by being an active supporter of the ordinances, said Captain Amarinder.