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Chandigarh, June 12: Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday took serious note of State BJP president Shwet Malik’s statement that the Akali leadership did not raise any contentions on the farmers’ issue with BJP chief Amit Shah, saying it had exposed the hollow claims of both the parties regarding the welfare of the farming community.
It was clear from Malik’s statement that neither the Akalis nor the BJP leadership was concerned about the problems of the farmers and did not deem it fit even to discuss the matter during the much-hyped meeting between SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal and Shah, said Jakhar, in a hard-hitting reaction to Malik’s reported statement.
The brazenness with which Malik had proudly claimed that the issue of farmers’ woes did not figure in the meeting had laid bare the BJP dictatorial attitude towards its ally partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief.
The Akalis, who had been falsely claiming that they had raised issues of Punjab’s interests during the meeting with Shah, had completely lost face in the wake of Malik’s statement, said Jakhar, adding that the BJP leadership had, in fact, gone ahead to rub salt in the wounds of the Akali leaders with its latest statement.
The Punjab Congress president said it was evident from Malik’s statement that Parkash Singh Badal had not expressed any concerns at the meeting. Rather, Badal senior had blindly extended his continued support to the BJP, irrespective of their antagonistic stance on issues related to the welfare of the farming community, he pointed out.
While the Captain Amarinder Singh led Congress government in Punjab had been pressurising the central government for support in alleviating the woes of the debt-burdened farmers, the Akalis continued to be oblivious to their plight, said Jakhar, lamenting the pitiable state of affairs that prevailed under the BJP regime in the country.
The Badals could, of course, have a personal vested interest in not ruffling the BJP’s feathers, considering they have their family member as a minister in the Narendra Modi’s government said Jakhar, adding, however, that it was unfortunate that other Akali leaders were also not raising their voice against the step-brotherly treatment being meted out by the BJP to SAD and to Punjab.
Jakhar exhorted senior Akali leaders to come out openly against the BJP’s anti-people and anti-farmer policies in the interest of Punjab, if they wanted to retain a semblance of political presence in Punjab.
As the self-proclaimed custodians of the interests of Punjab and its people, the Akalis should either fight for them at the Centre or split away from the BJP, which had exposed itself to be completely unmindful of anyone’s interests but their own, he added.
