HELP FAMILIES OF FARMERS PARTICIPATING IN PROTEST: SUKHBIR TO SAD CADRE

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has appealed to the party rank and file to actively assist the families of farmers engaged in the ongoing agitation at the Delhi border by helping them in their agricultural operations as well as aid in looking after their animals.

Badal made this appeal after a meeting of the senior leadership during which it was pointed out that the wheat crop was due for irrigation as well as application of fertiliser. Accordingly, the SAD chief requested the entire rank and file of the party to assist farmers who were unable to tend to their fields because of the ongoing protest.

Meanwhile, the SAD on Wednesday said that the Centre should handle administrative matters and resolve the deadlock with farmers to their satisfaction instead of depending on pleas to lift the congregation of peaceful farmers from the borders of Delhi.

In a statement, party spokesperson and former Punjab Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said that such pleas only highlighted the failure of the NDA government which was trying to use the Supreme Court to lift a peaceful and democratic protest.

He said that instead of this the government could have arrived at a solution in Parliament by discussing the issue threadbare and repealing the three agricultural Acts. The SAD leader said that it was unfortunate that the Central government had run away from discussing the issue in Parliament by scrapping the winter session altogether.

Badal made this appeal after a meeting of the senior leadership during which it was pointed out that the wheat crop was due for irrigation as well as application of fertiliser. Accordingly, the SAD chief requested the entire rank and file of the party to assist farmers who were unable to tend to their fields because of the ongoing protest.