Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday claimed that former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's "compromise" with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was very clear when cases of black money in Swiss Bank accounts, ED and IT cases against him were brushed under the carpet when he became the CM. "Their deal was very clear," she said.
"A CM who had taken the oath for Punjab becomes helpless to an extent that he hands over the farming of Punjab to Modi-Shah & stops agriculture in the state. After the death of 800 farmers, today Captain sahab says that he will get the matter resolved by BJP," Harsimrat Kaur Badal added.
Accusing Singh of "using" the farmers, Badal said he has "fulfilled the agenda of BJP". "When people made you the CM, Sunil Jakhar said that you directed the farmers to Delhi. It means you used the farmers. Today we can see that to what extent you fulfilled the agenda of BJP," she said.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu called Amarinder Singh the "architect" of the Centre's three farm laws against which farmers have been protesting at the Delhi borders.
Sidhu's remark came two days after Amarinder Singh said he would launch his own political party and that he was hopeful of a seat arrangement with the BJP, provided the ongoing farmers' stir against farm laws was resolved in the agriculturists' interest.
Amarinder Singh, who faced an unceremonious exit from the state government last month, had also said that he was looking at an alliance with like-minded parties such as breakaway Akali groups.
"The architect of three black laws. Who brought Ambani to Punjab's kisani. Who destroyed Punjab's farmers, small traders and labour for benefiting one-two big corporates," Sidhu tweeted in an apparent reference to farmers' allegations that big corporates will dictate terms to agriculturists with the passage of these laws.
(With PTI inputs)
