DW BUREAU / New Delhi

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday said it did not behove the NDA government to renege on the promise made to farmers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appealed to the Centre to resolve the grievances of farmers immediately.

Participating in the all-party meeting called on the eve of the budget session, Harsimrat Badal said: "It is not suitable that the Prime Minister makes the commitment to farmers but they still have to sit on a 'dharna'. All issues of farmers including making Minimum Support Price (MSP) a legal entity, should be resolved."

The Bathinda MP also spoke on the increasing discrimination and even attacks on minority communities in the country.

She said it was disconcerting that Uttar Pradesh Police has been forcing members of the minority community to display their nameplates on vends and eateries which would hit them economically.

"Similarly in Rajasthan, baptized Sikh women were barred from entering the examination centre for a judicial paper, which is a clear violation of their fundamental right to practice their religion. A case under the National Security Act (NSA) was registered against the head of a gurdwara in Sri Ganganagar solely because the gurdwara head was speaking against someone who was calling for the destruction of gurdwaras."

Speaking about the sharp increase in drug trafficking and drug addiction in Punjab, she said drones were being used to airdrop drugs from Pakistan.

She said the situation had worsened due to the politico-police nexus in the state under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime which was taking a heavy toll on the people with drug overdose deaths being reported on a daily basis.

She called for framing a comprehensive policy to curb trans-border smuggling of drugs as well as drug trafficking in Punjab.

She also dwelt on how Punjab had been consistently robbed of its river waters and that now efforts were afoot to hand over Punjab's waters to Haryana and Delhi through the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.

She said it was unfortunate that all national parties including the Congress, BJP and AAP had weakened Punjab's stand by resorting to double speak on this most critical issue. "These parties oppose the construction of the SYL canal in Punjab but support the same in Haryana and Delhi".

She conveyed that Punjab would become a desert if the canal was constructed and that it would have a catastrophic effect on the farming community as well as the State's economy.

Speaking about the lop-sided functioning of the central enforcement agencies, Mrs Badal said it was mystifying as to how Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had been arrested in the Delhi liquor scam but no action was being taken against Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann despite the fact that the same scam had been perpetrated in Punjab. "This implies some sort of understanding with the AAP government in Punjab", she added.
(editor@dailyworld.in)