Harsimrat Kaur Badal demands resignation of MoS Ajay Mishra over Lakhimpur violence

Continuing with claims about the Centre turning a deaf ear towards farmers' protest, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday, October 8, said that the government has been ignoring farmers and have never listened to their opinion on three farm laws passed in September, last year. Speaking at the Lucknow Airport where she arrived to meet families of those who died in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, Harsimrat Kaur said that the party stands with the farmers who lost their lives in the tragic incident. 

"Farmers are protesting from last year. They are demanding to withdraw the three farm laws but the government has not listened to the farmers and now they are beating them," the SAD leader said. 

Referring to farmers' protest in Karnal, Haryana where an IAS officer reportedly told personnel to “break the heads” of farmers, she said, "We all know what happened in Karnal, they were charged with lathi. And now the minister's son's car killed them." Demanding justice for the victims, the SAD leader called for the resignation of Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra and the arrest of his son, Ashish Mishra. 

Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Karnal incident

In reference to Karnal sub-divisional magistrate Ayush Sinha's instructing policemen to "crack" the heads of protesting farmers, the SAD leader had said in August that the time has come for the people to oppose the government that conspires with its officials to break farmers' heads.

She had also said that people should extend their support to farmers and not vote for such a government. Kaur had told reporters, "Time has come for the people to oppose a government that conspires with its officials to break farmers' heads. People should support farmers and not vote for such a government." 

Lakhimpur Kheri violence

On October 3, while farmers were protesting against the Centre's 3 farm laws at Lakhimpur Kheri outside an event venue where Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was scheduled to be present, one of the farmers was allegedly shot dead by Ashish Mishra - son of Union MoS Ajay Mishra Teni, and two farmers were killed after his car reportedly ran over them. Before the incident, farmers were seen holding black flags displaying their disapproval of Maurya's helipad landing at Maharaja Agrasen Ground. In response to the horrifying act, farmers began pelting stones at the car which had overturned, killing four BJP workers - including Mishra's driver. 

(Image: PTI/ANI)