Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh blamed veteran Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Parkash Singh Badal and his children for the problems caused by the farm faws not only in the state but also across the nation.
According to an NDTV report, Amarinder, in a Punjab Congress statement, said that the Badals were the root cause of the problem and accused them of "colluding with the BJP" for the imposition of the three new farm laws imposed last year.
Since it was passed in Parliament during last year's Monsoon Session, thousands of farmers have been protesting in Punjab, Haryana and the borders of Delhi. The three laws were: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Amarinder Singh also added that the Badals were the root cause of the problem and also co-conspirators of the Centre's anti-famer agenda. He said, "the Akalis neither deserve nor can expect any understanding or forgiveness from the farmers."
The Akalis' refusal to recognise the protestors as farmers was an evident sign of the party's "apathy" towards farmers, Amarinder was quoted as saying by the news broadcaster, taking a jibe at SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his father and former Punjab CM Parkash Badal.
SAD decided to set up a panel to speak to the farmers and Singh also ridiculed the move. Singh also ridiculed the SAD's move to set up a panel to speak to farmers, saying that no overtures could absolve the Badals from the role they played in getting the draconian laws passed by the Centre.