Displaying her opposition to three agriculture-related bills, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet on Thursday evening.
The resignation came soon after SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal opposed two farmer-related bills in the Lok Sabha. The SAD is an ally of ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and in Punjab.
The two bills seek to replace two ordinances brought earlier by the NDA government. The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the two bills related to “reforms” in agriculture marketing after a debate, with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stating that the legislations will “end licence raj” and farmers will be free to sell their agricultural produce according to their choice.
Sukhbir Badal, who had earlier opposed the bill to amend Essential Commodities Act, on Thursday op- posed the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Pro- motion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. The two bills were taken up together for discussion in Lok Sabha.
During the debate, Sukhbir spoke against the bills and after completing his speech, announced that his
wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal will resign from the Cabinet. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was in Parliament at that time, handed over her resignation.
“I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister,” Harsimrat Kaur Badal said in a tweet.
The Badals, however, clarified that though Harsimrat Badal has resigned from the Cabinet, the SAD will continue supporting the NDA government.
The SAD was not the only party which opposed the bill. Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu strongly op- posed the bills, stating that they will take away farmers’ power and do not give any guarantee of minimum sup- port price (MSP) to farmers. Opposing the bills in the Lok Sabha, Bittu said farmers in Punjab and Haryana were protesting against them. Bittu, who is MP from Ludhiana, said though the government is saying that there will be no impact on the provisions of MSP, no assurance has been given in the bills.
Asserting that the party will not take this lying down, he said there will be aggressive protest by the farmers. He also took on the Badals and dared them to resign to show solidarity with the farmers and was a bit taken aback when it happened after the speech of Sukhbir Badal.
The Opposition termed the bills “anti-farmer” and attacked the government for benefiting capitalists. RSP MP Premchandran said that the bills will bulldoze the rights of farmers.
On the other hand, the BJP took on the Opposition by stating that the Agriculture bill was “second freedom for farmers”. BJP MP and farmers cell chief, Virendra Singh Mast, praised the initiative taken by Modi government to empower farmers. He compared the bill with that which was brought by the Morarji Desai government in 1972 to push the farming sector to new heights. He also said that he himself is a farmer and has spoken to many in the field about the bill and all supported the bill.
With inputs from agencies