Chandigarh (Gurpreet) - The Shiromani Akali Dal today urged the Government of India to stop playing games with the innocent farmers of the country and immediately and unconditionally withdraw the three controversial Acts and accept all the other demands of the farmers.
The SAD said "it fully backs the farmers' rejection of the proposals sent by the Government of India, saying that these proposals were nothing but delaying and diversionary tactics and tricks which have rightly been rejected by the farmers . "We are with the farmers in everything and in every way."
In a statement here, senior Akali leader Mr Bikram Singh Majithia said that there was nothing new in these proposals. " These in fact are the same proposals which had been rejected by the SAD before quitting the government and the NDA to stand with our farmers."
"It is so tragic that the country's annadata, the farmers, are battling cruel and biting cold along with families ranging from barely 14-day old infants to elders in their late eighties and nineties." said the Akali leader
Asking the Government to "abandon its stubborn refusal to listen to the farmers and announce unqualified and unconditional acceptance of their demands. The govt says these Acts are meant for the farmers welfare. If the farmers don't want these, it is absolutely unreasonable, wrong and undemocratic to thrust these upon them," said the SAD leader,
The senior Akali leader expressed grave concern over how "our country's soft and civilised image is taking a huge beating with the government's repressive handling of a peaceful stir. What an irony that people and institutions from all over the world, including the UN, have felt deeply touched and extended solidarity with our brave but beleaguered farmers while our own elected government continues to be utterly callous and insensitive to their sufferings," said Mr.Majithia , adding that the "unspeakable miseries which the country's bread winners ( annadata) are braving presents a touching human spectacle that can move even the most heartless enemy."
The Akali leader said that the government's apathy towards its own people and its "love and preference for the rich corporates" have brought back memories of the colonial rulers. "The pity is greater because the rulers today are not foreigners but our own elected representatives . People elected them in the hope that while in government, they would address their problems as does a parent in a family. Unfortunately, the parent has turned cruelly and heartlessly against its own children."
The Akali leader expressed "profound gratitude to the people of Haryana, especially the farmers, for the exemplary love and support extended by them to their Punjabi farmer brethren. "People of Haryana have given a resounding reply to the Khattar government which had been busy in conspiracies to sow seeds of suspicion, hatred and division among the Punjabi and Haryanvi brethren. We in Punjab will remain always beholden to our younger Haryanavi brothers for exposing and defeating the common enemy of the farmers of this country. The role played by our Haryanavi people , especially Haryanavi farmers, at this hour will always feature in golden words. "
The SAD leader condemned the repression let loose on peaceful and totally unarmed farmers by the Haryana government on direct orders from Mr Khattar.