SAD-BSP MPs hand over wheat stalks to parliamentarians to focus attention on Kisan Andolan

(Harsimrat K Badal leads unique protest, appeals to conscience of MPs to be just to the hand that feeds them)

Chandigarh, August 2 – In a unique protest, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MPs today handed over wheat stalks to parliamentarians to highlight the plight of the thousands of farmers who are leading a peaceful protest on the borders of Delhi and demanded justice for them.

Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who was leading the protest, offered the wheat stalks to NDA ministers and MPs and asked them to introspect about the treatment being done unto farmer by the union government. While the ministers did not accept the wheat stalks, many MPs not only accepted them but some MPs like Rama Devi even put the wheat stalks on their forehead as a mark of devotion.

Speaking to newsmen Badal said “if we are partaking our daily bread we have only farmers to thank. It is shocking that a community to which everyone is beholden is being persecuted by the union government which refuses to repeal the 3 black agriculture laws. Today we distributed wheat stalks to MPs to appeal to the conscience of our policy makers to be just to the hand that feeds them”.

Amidst slogans of Kala kanoon vapis lo and kisano ki mange poori karo, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said it was condemnable that the union government had shut its eyes to the suffering of farmers camped on the borders with Delhi since the last eight months. She said the SAD-BSP parliamentarians had been demanding a discussion on the need for repeal of the three farm laws since the first day of the start of the monsoon session. “We moved repeated adjournment motions. But all were disallowed. This government is not ready to listen to the voice of the farmers and this is why we have been protesting in solidarity with farmers outside parliament every day. We will continue our protest till the black laws are not repealed”.

 Badal also condemned the attempts being made by the centre to not only defame the Kisan Andolan but also belittle the sacrifices made by farmers for this noble cause. She said farmers were being bad mouthed and referred to as ‘terrorists’ and ‘mawalis’ simply because they were standing up to the sinister conspiracy to hand over the agriculture economy to corporates. The Bathinda mp also condemned attempts to belittle the sacrifice of the martyrs of the Andolan with Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar stating that the centre did not have any record of any farmer deaths during the ongoing agitation. “This despite the fact that it is in public realm that 537 farmers have lost their lives during the course of the ongoing Andolan”, Mrs Badal added