*👉…Says Badals leveraged Panth, Punjab and Punjabis only to grab power*
*Chandigarh, June 14( wishavwarta)-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab senior leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema has ridiculed the recent statement of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) President Sukhbir Singh Badal, saying his proposed ‘stir’ over the issue of MSP on crops against the union government was a mere ploy to leverage it to earn some political brownie points.
Harpal Singh Cheema said: “The people of Punjab are scoffing at Sukhbir Singh Badal over his statement to launch a stir against Modi government if it tried to fiddle with the MSP model on crops, for the people of Punjab knew the Badal family was doing it to save Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s ministry”.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters, Cheema said the three ordinances pushed by the Modi government at the centre, including the Farmers Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotions and Assistants) Ordinance 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Security) Ordinance 2020 on Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services and Essential Commodities. (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, were a well thought out ploy to demolish country’s the federal structure, besides being an attack on the interests of farmers in the state and dismantling the existing world class marketing model by abolishing the MSP fixed for wheat and paddy crops.
The latest recommendations by the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and the statement made by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were clear pointers to the move. Taking a pot shot at union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the AAP leader said she remained mum when the Modi Cabinet pushed these anti-Punjab and anti-farmer ordinances.
The LoP questioned Sukhbir Singh Badal, saying the deadly ordinances against agriculture sector had happened, the CACP had given its consent to the recommendations by the Shanta Kumar Committee over the procurement of wheat and paddy from Punjab and Haryana and the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recent statement were clear pointers to do away with the MSP, shooting a googly as to what else he (Sukhbir Singh Badal) was looking forward to?
Cheema alleged the Badal family had inked an ‘agreement’ with the Modi government at the centre to protect the ministerial berth of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, by bartering the interests of Punjab and its peasantry, saying the proposed ‘stir’ was nothing but a clever move to mislead the people of the state, for the people of Punjab were aware of the ultimate truth that the Badals had always leveraged the ‘Panth’, Punjab and Punjabis to stay relevant in the power corridor.