To get the farm Bills reversed, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday announced a ‘sangharsh’ programme, including a statewide ‘chakka jam’ on 25 September as well as a simultaneous ‘kisan march’ from all three Sikh religious ‘Takths’ to Mohali on 1 October, to hand over a memorandum for the President of India to the Governor.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that the SAD’s decision to hold a state-wide chakka jam on 25 September, the day when the state’s farmers had already announced a bandh against the Bills, is yet another brazen attempt by the BJP ally to exploit the sentiments of the farmers, and perhaps even to sabotage the farmer’s fight at the behest of their allies in the Central government.
Decision regarding ‘chakka jam’ was taken at a meeting of the SAD’s core committee meeting which was presided by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal. It was also decided that the SAD president would visit various parts of the state to interact with the party cadre from 26-29 September. Party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said that the core committee decided to hold a ‘chakka jam’ across the state on 25 September. Party leaders and workers have been asked to hold the ‘chakka jam’ in all constituencies in league with farmers, ‘khet mazdoor’ and ‘arhatiyas’.