Farmers being misled by Opposition: Shwait Malik

Amritsar, September 30

Rajya Sabha MP and former state BJP chief Shwait Malik today alleged that the Opposition, including the SAD, had been misguiding the farming community, leading to protests against the Act.

Though there is no legislative clause or guarantee incorporated in the Act about “commitment” to farmers on the MSP, Malik said, “The MSP word was never there in any Act before. But the BJP is committed to the farmers on MSP. Similarly, mandi pattern will remain intact. It is actually the Congress, AAP and the SAD, which have been misquoting the properties of the Act to the farmers for petty political gains.”

Over SAD’s claims that they were never taken into confidence when the Bills were tabled in Parliament, he said, “It is a lie. If former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal were not agreeing to the terms of the Bills, why did they endorse them initially in the Cabinet meeting and didn’t lodge their dissent then. It is beyond our understanding what self-interest prompted the SAD leadership to annul the alliance overnight, but it was an unfortunate development.” — TNS