CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to stop indulging in "diversionary tactics" and explain his "failures" to the people instead of telling lies on the ordinances related to the agriculture sector passed by the Centre.
The central government has promulgated three ordinances -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance.
The Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) remarks came a day after the chief minister accused the opposition party of "selling" the state's interests by agreeing to the "anti-farm" ordinances to "ruin" the state's farming community.
In a statement here, senior Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema urged the Singh to "shun" politics on the ordinances in the interest of Punjabis.
Asking the chief minister to tell farmers and farmers' unions the whole truth, Cheema said, "Isn't it a fact that you amended the State APMC (Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee) Act in 2017 to include all the provisions contained in the ordinance like allowing the creation of private yards, direct marketing and e-trading?"
He said the state did not only amend its APMC act but also participated in the consultation process on the agricultural ordinances. "Now after doing all this, the chief minister is misleading farmers and Kisan unions in league with AAP for petty political gains," Cheema alleged.
The SAD leader said in such a situation, Singh's repeated attempts to inflame the passions of farmers on this issue were totally uncalled for and should be stopped immediately.
He said it was also condemnable that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had left its role as the principle opposition party and become so "subservient" to the Congress that it was now going to troop to Delhi to lodge a "farcical" protest on the Agricultural ordinances.
Cheema asked Singh to rather explain people about the alleged excise revenue losses, illegal mining and diversion in central ration for poor people. "Punjabis want answers to the Rs 5,600 crore excise revenue losses. They want to know what you have done to recoup the losses which were pointed out by your own colleagues. Why no action has been taken against Congress leaders and distillery owners who are accused of bottling illicit liquor and denying excise duty to the state," he asked.
He said people also wanted to know why "illegal mining" of sand was continuing unabated in the state.
Even in the case of central ration received by the state, the Congress government had turned a blind eye to "diversion" of ration to houses of its leaders, Cheema alleged. "But the chief minister seemed oblivious of these issues and was bent on building a false narrative to cover his failures," he alleged.
The Congress-led government in Punjab had expressed apprehension that these three ordinances were a blatant attack on the federal structure and once they were passed, the minimum support price regime would come to an end.
However, the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar had clarified that the MSP system would continue to stay.