''U-turn'' of BKU (Lakhowal) on plea against
farm laws at SAD''s behest:
Amarinder
07
OCTOBER 2020
Last Updated at 9:38 PM | SOURCE: PTI
Chandigarh, Oct 7 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister
Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said the BKU (Lakhowal)
faction''s "U-turn" on its petition against the
new farm laws was the result of "pressure" from
the SAD, which seemed to be once again "cozying
up" with the BJP.
He also
cited the "close and old ties" of the Bhartiya
Kisan Union (Lakhowal) with the Akalis.
The BKU (Lakhowal)
had filed a petition in the Supreme Court
against the new farm laws and later decided to
withdraw it.
However,
the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday had
dubbed BKU (Lakhowal)''s move of filing the
petition in the apex court as "ill-advised" and
said the party did not have anything to do with
the petition.
The party
had also said the farmers'' body did not consult
it before filing the petition.
The chief
minister on Wednesday said BKU (Lakhowal)
president Ajmer Singh Lakhowal''s relations with
the Akalis were well-known and he had remained
the chairman of the Mandi Board for a decade
under the Badal regime.
In a
statement here, the chief minister said the
sudden decision of the Lakhowal''s organisation
to back off from challenging the "draconian"
farm laws in the apex court indicated that he
was acting at the behest of the SAD.
He warned
other Kisan Unions to be cautious, and not to
"play into the hands of the Akalis," who had
been instrumental in the enactment of the farm
laws in the first place in support of their
allies, the BJP.
He termed
SAD''s statement on the issue, in which a party
leader had said the BKU (Lakhowal) group should
not have filed the petition without consulting
other Kisan Unions, as "gross and unwarranted
interference" in the farmer organisations''
fight.
The only
explanation for such interference, said the CM,
was that a "deal" had been sealed by the Akalis
with the BKU (Lakhowal) president, who clearly
had no "qualms about selling off" the interests
of the farmers to keep his friends in SAD happy.
Amarinder
Singh said the entire affair seemed to suggest a
"collusion, crafted by the BJP at the Centre to
weaken the farmers'' battle against the
agriculture laws."
The chief
minister warned the Akalis against playing these
"dangerous games", which he said would
"backfire" on them as the farmers would not take
such actions lying down.
"If the
Akalis, or their political masters in the BJP,
believe that they would be able to mislead the
farmers with these antics, they were grossly
mistaken," he said. PTI CHS VSD CK
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by
Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news
agency feeds. Source: PTI