Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Modi cabinet on Thursday opposing the bills related to agriculture. Harsimrat Kaur Badal has not left Modi cabinet just like that, this is a very desperate step to balance the equation of Punjab Elections to be held in February 2022. The Shiromani Akali Dal has made an attempt to reclaim its diminishing base among the farmers of Punjab on Thursday by relinquishing the post of Union Minister. Akali chief Sukhbir Singh Badal projected Harsimrat Kaur’s resignation as a big sacrifice for the farmers by the party.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal was the only cabinet minister in the Modi government from the Akali Dal. This party from Punjab is the oldest ally of BJP. In Punjab, the Akali Dal has more political influence than the BJP, and the politics here is limited around the farmers. This is the reason why Sukhbir Badal announced in the Lok Sabha that his party’s only minister from the Modi government will resign on the issue of Agriculture Bills. The Akali Dal wants to dilute the anger of the farmers against them by stepping down from the post of minister.
Farmers angry about ordinance & bills
Actually, the Akali Dal has taken this decision at a time when there is a lot of anger among farmers in Punjab and Haryana against these bills related to agriculture. It is being said by the farmers’ associations about the agricultural legislators that the minimum support price is the only source of income for the farmers, the ordinance will eliminate it. Apart from this, it is being said that these ordinances are clearly going to end the existing mandi system. Farmers in Punjab have been strongly opposing these ordinances for the last three months.
In Punjab, the Congress has left the Akali Dal far behind in securing the cooperation of farmers and farmer organizations on this issue. In Punjab, the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh passed a resolution from the Legislative Assembly on August 28 against the ordinances related to agriculture and has already done the exercise to declare himself as the sympathizer of the farmers. Being an ally of NDA, Congress has tried to establish Akali Dal as an ‘anti-farmer’ and ‘power-greedy’ party in Punjab. This is the reason why the Modi government as well as the Akali Dal were being criticized in the protests of farmers’ organizations running against the agricultural bills across the state these days.
Congress regain
Actually, agriculture and farmers are such important issues in Punjab that no political party can ignore them and can not even imagine surviving without farmer vote. In the 2017 assembly elections, the promise of debt waiver of farmers was made by the Congress in return to power, whereas before that the Akali Dal has been in power due to the promise of free power to the farmers. Amid growing farmer suicides, the Congress’s promise of debt waiver was effective in ousting the ten-year-old Akali Dal government from power.
There are only one and a half years left for the Punjab Assembly elections. Farmers of Punjab are on the road against the Agriculture Bill. Farmers in Punjab are so agitated that they have decided not to allow MPs to enter the state who support the Bill. Given the circumstances, Akali Dal political influence among farmers was vanishing. Given the political equation, the Akali Dal does not want to face farmers’ wrath and lose the Punjab assembly election 2022. displeasure. This is the reason why the Akali Dal chose to oppose the bill.
Eye on Punjab elections
The Akali Dal is eyeing the Punjab elections to be held in 2022. In such a situation, it is a question of its own existence for the Akali Dal. In such a situation, she does not want to risk political existence by supporting the Modi government on Agriculture Bills. This is the reason why Harsimrat Kaur quit Modi Cabinet and said that I resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against the anti-farmer ordinance and laws. For the first time, the Akali has become vocal against the bill brought by the Modi government and is trying to prove itself to be the true patron of the farmers of Punjab.
Interestingly, the Akali Dal has announced exit from the Modi government, but the party has not withdrawn from NDA. Harsimrat’s resignation is also seen to be linked to the helplessness of the Akali Dal, as the vote bank of the farmers could go directly to the Congress in the upcoming elections due to opposition to the bills related to farmers. This is the reason why Congress is describing the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur as nothing else but just the political posturing drama of Akali Dal.
Source: dnaindia.com