Akali Dal quit NDA due to political compulsions over farm bills: BJP

The BJP leader slammed the Opposition for allegedly misleading people over the issue of agriculture reform Bills.

CHANDIGARH: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anil Sarin on Sunday (September 27) said that Shiromani Akali Dal has quit National Democratic Alliance (NDA) out of political compulsions over the passage of farm Bills in the Parliament. 

He further slammed the Opposition for allegedly misleading people over the issue of agriculture reform bills.

"They have come out of the alliance with the NDA due to their political compulsion. They have withdrawn their support because of the present condition of Punjab. I disagree with them that the farm Bills were passed all of a sudden and their consent was not taken. It was first discussed by the Cabinet leaders in which Harsimrat Kaur Badal was also present," he said while speaking to ANI."

Some of the Opposition party leaders are misleading people on these farm Bills. As per these Bills, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will not be taken away. It will remain the same," Sarin added.

Shrimoni Akali Dal on Saturday night announced to snap its ties with BJP-led NDA alliance after sharp difference over three newly-passed farm bills. 

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced the move on Saturday night after attending a core committee meeting of the party. "The highest decision-making body of the Shiromani Akali Dal core committee at its emergency meeting here tonight decided unanimously to pull out of the BJP -led NDA alliance," Badal said.

According to a party statement, the said the decision to quit the NDA was taken because of the Centre's stubborn refusal to give statutory legislative guarantees to protect assured marketing of farmers crops on MSP and its continued insensitivity to Punjabi and Sikh issues like excluding Punjabi language as official language in Jammu and Kashmir.

The SAD becomes the third major NDA ally to pull out of the grouping after the Shiv Sena and the TDP. The development comes days after SAP MP Harsimrat Kaur resigned from the Cabinet due to rift widening between the two parties over farm bills. 

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed by Parliament recently. A third bill relating to amendment in the Essential Commodities Act has also been passed by Parliament.