SAD urges President not to sign bills

CHANDIGARH The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday urged President Ram Nath Kovind not to approve the contentious agriculture bills passed by both Houses of Parliament.

“I beseech you to please stand by the beleaguered farmers, farm labourers, mandi labourers and Dalits in this hour. They are facing exploitation and look up to you to exercise your discretion as the highest executive of the country. You can come to their rescue by not signing these bills so that they do not become laws,” said party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

He requested the President to return the bills to Parliament for reconsideration so that “the hasty decisions taken in a fleeting moment of overzealous stubbornness do not leave permanent scars on the nation’s psyche”.

“There is still time to reconsider this decision and undo the damage it threatens to cause to our overall national interests, especially at this critical juncture when the country’s economy requires social stability , peace and harmony to recover from the traumatic aftereffects of the pandemic,” said Sukhbir.

Also, the SAD chief requested the President to grant a personal audience to a delegation of SAD leaders led by him (Sukhbir).

In RS, party seeks referral of farm bills

The SAD said in theRajya Sabha that the agriculture bills introduced by the BJP-led NDA government be referred to the select committees of both the houses of Parliament so that the voice of all stakeholders could be heard. Speaking in the House, Akali MP Naresh Gujral said the farmers felt aggrieved as their voice was not heard. “If the bills are passed as such, we will be left with no option but to stand with farmers,” he said.