Harsimrat move landmark in party history, says Badal

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch and fivetime chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday termed the party’s decision to pull out of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government and stand by farmers as “a proud and landmark moment in the party’s long history of standing up for principles and of always being on the side of the people whenever a line is drawn”.

Speaking for the first time since Bathinda MP and his daughter-in-law’s resignation on Friday as Union food processing minister in protest over the farm legislation passed by the Parliament, Badal said he has taken an immense satisfaction and pride over the strong and principled stand taken by the SAD to save the peasantry in Punjab and the rest of the country.

“I am pleased and proud that when the hour of reckoning arrived, my party, as in the past, took the flag of justice for farmers” he said, adding “This flag symbolises the identity of the Akali culture and movements and it is a great feeling to watch it flying high.”

He said that the Akalis have a long history of rejecting lure of office and standing up for principles. “Lure of office means nothing to an Akali. Countless times, as during the Emergency, we turned down outright offers of power as a price for silence against injustice. But we always spurned such offers and preferred to stand by the country and principles, and filled jails for that. That tradition will always live on,” he said.

He said with the resignation of its sole representative in the Union cabinet has demonstrated yet again that nothing is dearer to the SAD than its principles as well as the interests of the people, especially of the farmers, the farm labour.

“I have run out of words to express how happy and proud I feel of my party for this decision,” said Badal.

The SAD patron said the legislation on the marketing of the farmers’ produce needed wider consultations, especially with the stakeholders, the farmers, as well as with the parties like SAD that have always been the voice of the farmers.

He said that he was satisfied that as a mature representative of the people, the SAD tried to convey the sentiments of the farmers to the Union government and tried its best to persuade it to refer the legislation to an all-party Select Committee of MPs for wider consultations with the farmers.

The former chief minister appealed to all Punjabis and all political parties to stand with their bread winners, the farmers, during this struggle for justice.

{ PARKASH SINGH BADAL } SAD SUPREMO AND FORMER CM Akali Dal is always proud to be on people’s side whenever a

line is drawn.