Harsimrat Badal slams PM's silence on death of farmers during stir; doubts Centre's intent

Speaking to the media after PM Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal stressed that the need of the hour is to listen to the demands of farmers. Disputing the claim that Union Ministers spoke to farmers in Punjab, she claimed that one such Minister had visited the Congress-ruled state and dubbed farmers as "hooligans". Moreover, she slammed the PM for his silence on the death of more than 100 farmers during the protests against The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. 

The Bhatinda MP also flagged the fact that no Union Minister has personally visited the protesters at the Delhi borders in the last 75 days. SAD had pulled out of NDA after Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet on September 17, 2020, in protest against the farm laws. Incidentally, the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party had backed the farm ordinances promulgated by President Ram Nath Kovind on June 5, 2020.

Read: PM Modi Flays Congress' Walkout From Lok Sabha; Exposes 'conspirators' & Andolan Jeevis

PM slams 'Andolan Jeevis' 

During his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Lower House earlier in the day, PM Modi touched on a number of issues pertaining to the country's progress. Dedicating a large part of his speech to buttress the case for farm reforms, he expressed willingness to amend the laws in case any discrepancies are pointed out. Contending that the protesters have fell prey to misinformation, he clarified that the Mandi system and the procurement at the Minimum Support Price will not be affected in any way.

Weighing in on the violence during the farm stir, PM Modi made a distinction between 'Andolan Jeevis' and protesters. He cited the demand for release of alleged terrorists, destruction of toll plazas and vandalization of telecom towers in Punjab as an attempt by these miscreants to malign the agitation against the farm laws. In an overture towards the protesters, he dubbed the farm stir as "sacred". 

"The atmosphere is created by Andolan Jeevis. I consider the farm agitation as sacred. In Indian democracy, the importance of agitation is there and will continue. But Andolan Jeevi seek to destroy the agitation for their benefit. Isn't the demand to release rioters, communal, terrorists and naxalites in the garb of farm laws an attempt to malign the farm stir or not? In this country, everyone has accepted the system of toll plazas. Destroying and taking over toll plazas- aren't such methods an attempt to malign the sacred protests? When hundreds of telecom towers are destroyed in Punjab, is it related to the farmers' demand? It is the Andolan Jeevis and not the protesters who have maligned the farm stir," the PM detailed the concept of Andolan Jeevis.

Read: 'Congress Govt Will Undo Farm Laws; We Won't Divide, We'll Add You': Priyanka Vadra In UP