Chandigarh, December 3:
Punjab School Education and Public Works Minister Mr. Vijay Inder Singla, on Thursday, lashed out at Shiromani Akali Dal leaders for politicizing the farmers protest and called out the hypocrisy of Parkash Singh Badal political opportunism. The cabinet minister said that Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal has not returned Padam Vibhushan with his own assent but it was the panic of losing political ground in Punjab which forced him to return the civilian award. He added that Badals, who had openly supported the new farm bills passed by Modi government, had suddenly taken U-turn over the issue fearing zeal of protesting farmers.
In a hard hitting tweet, Mr. Singla quoted, “Sh. Prakash Singh Badal’s own party has crossed all limits of hypocrisy, with @Akali_Dal_councillors in @BJP4India led Delhi MCD yet to resign! Your returning of Padma Vibhushan after so many months makes no difference since people understand your party’s duplicity very well now!”
Mr. Vijay Inder Singla said that at the time of introduction of these black bills as ordinances, Parkash Singh Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal and other SAD leaders had not only openly supported these draconian bills but also confronted farmer leaders who were opposing these bills. He added that it was the time, when their resentment against these black bills was required on the political front but then SAD leaders were enjoying power. He said, now when the farmers have brought the Modi government on its knees, the Badals and Dhindsas were trying to get political mileage by shedding crocodile’s tears.
The cabinet minister said that the SAD has hand in glove with Modi government as their leaders in Delhi have been enjoying the political power as councillors in Municipal Corporation Delhi in connivance with BJP. He added that at this moment of life, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal should stop playing politics with ‘Anndaata’ and should refrain other leaders of his party from doing so.
On the issue of returning Padam Bhushan by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr. Singla said that everybody knew that Dhindsas separated from Badals to form B-team of BJP in Punjab and now they were also trying to label themselves pro-farmer and pro-Punjabi by doing these political gimmicks.
Mr. Singla said that the videos and news clippings of Badals’ and other SAD leaders’ statements, openly supporting these bills, have already been viral on social media and instead of playing political stunts at his stage, they have to tender unconditional apology for backstabbing farmers when they were representing Punjabis on the political front.
