‘Govt instigating farmers to end life’

CHANDIGARH: He is now the Badal in opposition. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday dubbed debt waiver announced by the Congress government a crude joke. In an interview to HT, he said the budget has given his party new ammunition against the government.

Q: Why is the SAD disrupting the House on farm debt waiver. The Congress government has announced some relief?

SUKHBIR: What is the amount they have waived and what is the message? A relief of ₹2 lakh for minimum 10 lakh farmers totals to ₹25,000 crore. They have announced just ₹1,500 crore — a little over ₹14,000 per farmer. Is it not a crude joke? They have hiked relief for suicide-hit families to ₹5 lakh from ₹3 lakh. So the message is if you commit suicide, we will pay you ₹5 lakh. But if you live, we pay you a meagre relief of ₹14,000.

But isn’t your party to blame for leaving empty coffers?

Our white paper has nailed the lies of the government’s white paper. We will also expose them on the budget during the debate. Right from Uber and Ola cabs to smartphones, it is just hogwash. If Manpreet said he can get smartphones for free, why did they wait for the budget? Will he give youths three lakh Ola cabs?

But why are you raking up waiver, not mining auctions?

We have held agitations on sand mining issue. There were many issues on which the government was fumbling. But we can focus on one thing at a time.

Is it because CM had a list of your party leaders too?

No Akali minister or MLA’s name ever figured in sand mining unlike in their government... Sand mining issue will not die. Sand in Punjab will now be called ‘Rana Sand’.