Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today castigated the ruling Congress dispensation for not allowing discussion on the adjournment motion moved by the SAD-BJP legislator group to discuss the crisis in the farm sector in the Vidhan Sabha and said this was done deliberately to hide the government's failure to fulfil its farm loan waiver promise.Addressing newsmen in the press gallery of the Vidhan Sabha, the SAD president said SAD- BJP legislators were forced to protest due to the government's refusal to debate the plight of Punjab farmers and even staged a walk out from the assembly to register their protest.Badal said the government had earlier deceived and betrayed farmers by making announcements of a complete loan waiver, clearing the proposal in a cabinet meeting and even passing a notification to this effect. "However nothing has happened on the ground and no farmer's loan has been waived till now. In fact the government's false announcements have ruined farmers. Farmers have been declared defaulters by banks because they stopped paying interest on loans. Now they are being forced to take loans from private money lenders as banks are refusing to extend this facility to them. We had moved an adjournment motion because 300 farmers have committed suicide with some even naming chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh in their suicide note.But it is strange that a government which paid tributes to farmer suicide victims during obituary references yesterday refused to allow debate on their plight or even announce any relief for them in the form of government jobs as promised".
The SAD president said the manner in which the house was conducted today proved that the Congress and AAP were working in tandem. "AAP wants that the government should not target Khaira. To achieve this it has abandoned all people issues and also agreed not to target the government. That's why you are seeing both Congress and AAP targeting the SAD", he added. Mr Badal said the SAD- BJP legislature group also wanted to raise the issue of injustice being done to Punjab farmers due to the government's refusal to ensure parity of sugarcane state assured price with that given by the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments. "Hundreds of crores are being given to sugar barons who are also part of the government which is also an issue of conflict of interest", he added.Stating that the SAD- BJP legislature group only wanted to discuss the issue of crisis in the farm sector, he said it was unfortunate that Speaker Rana K P Singh did not give time for the same. "This proves the government is running away from discussing people issues". Speaking about AAP he said the less said the better. "AAP's double standards have been exposed today. It's only interest was to save leader of opposition party Sukhpal Khaira and it abandoned all the burning issues of Punjabis to fulfil this goal", he added.