SAD asks Rahul Gandhi to tell farmers why he supported abolition of APMC Act

Chandigarh The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to tell farmers of Punjab why he had supported the abolition of the APMC Act and why didn’t he protest against the three agriculture Bills when they were tabled in Parliament for ratification.

In a statement here, party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said the Punjab Congress after failing on all fronts and even betraying farmers by amending the State APMC Act in 2017 was now trying to win the sympathy of farmers by indulging in cheap publicity stunts.

“Getting Rahul astride on a tractor in Punjab is nothing but a photo op designed to befool farmers. The Congress has always adopted an anti-farmer stance, be it the party’s 2019 election manifesto calling for abolition of the APMC Act or the amendment to the State APMC Act in Punjab in 2017 which includes all the provisions contained in the new agriculture laws,” he said.

The SAD leader said before coming to Punjab, Rahul Gandhi should come clean and tell the farmers of Punjab as to where he was when the Bills were tabled in Parliament. He said Rahul should also explain why no top leader of the Congress party spoke against the Bills in Parliament and why the party did not even issue a whip to ensure all its MPs voted against the Bills.