SAD Blames Both Centre and AAP for Punjab's Agricultural Crisis
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Chandigarh, Jan 7 (NationPress) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) stated on Tuesday that the Union government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab are equally accountable for the escalating agricultural crisis in the nation. They also urged both governments to communicate with farmers and do everything possible to protect the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
In a statement, SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema expressed disbelief that, despite the Supreme Court monitoring Dallewal's hunger strike nearly daily, both the Union and state governments continue to engage in a blame game and political maneuvering.
“There are also attempts to polarize this entire issue which is reprehensible and could pose a risk for a border state like Punjab,” Cheema remarked, calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take initiative and foster an environment conducive to ending Dallewal’s fast.
“To achieve this, the Prime Minister must promptly announce a guarantee on minimum support price (MSP). This aligns with the promise made to the public when he rescinded the three agricultural laws that concluded the Kisan Andolan.
He further emphasized that the Centre should also retract the draft agriculture policy, as farmers believe many provisions from the repealed agricultural laws are being secretly reintroduced.
“Once this policy is revoked, we can begin a sincere dialogue with all parties involved to outline future agricultural policies,” he added.
While affirming that these actions could significantly alleviate the factors contributing to the current farmers' protests, Cheema criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for neglecting his responsibility to mitigate the ongoing crisis.
“It’s still not too late. The Chief Minister should urgently reach out to the Prime Minister and persuade him to take the necessary steps to protect the life of the fasting farmer leader, whose health is critically endangered,” he concluded.
