Sukhbir Badal urges PM Modi to not link farm stir with Sikhs; says 'address the issue'

On Monday, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal took umbrage at PM Modi's reference to the Sikh community during his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. Lauding the contribution of the Sikhs to the nation, the PM stressed that the language used for this community by some people and attempts to mislead them shall be harmful for India. This was seen in the context of farmers protesting against the three agrarian laws being described as "Khalistani terrorists" and other derogatory names.

However, Badal claimed that the PM's remarks might further alienate the Centre among the farmers. Stressing that farmers across the country are united in seeking the repeal of the agrarian laws, he contended that it was inappropriate of PM Modi to link the farm stir with one community alone. Moreover, he opined that the focus should remain on addressing the concerns raised by thousands of farmers who are protesting at the Delhi borders for more than two months. 

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Read: PM Modi Notes Oppn's U-turn On Farm Laws; Cites Manmohan Singh's Support In The Past

Impasse over farm laws

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 aims at freeing the farmers from the constraints of the state Agriculture Produce Market Committees whereby they would be able to sell their produce anywhere. Meanwhile, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 protects and empowers farmers to engage with processors, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters for farm services. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 specifies that the supply of foodstuffs including cereals, pulses, potato, edible oilseeds, and oils shall be regulated only under exceptional circumstances.

At present, the talks between the Union government and the farmers' unions have come to a standstill. This is owing to the fact that farm associations refused to agree to the Centre's proposal for suspending the implementation of the aforesaid legislation for one and a half years. While the last round of talks lasted for nearly 5 hours, the farmers claimed that the two sides sat face-to-face for less than 30 minutes. The divide between the two sides further exacerbated on January 26 after the farmers' tractor rally turned violent resulting in 510 Delhi police personnel getting injured and extensive damage to public property.

Read: Nirmala Sitharaman Says New AIDC Will Support Development Of Farm Infrastructure