Facing heat on the issue of farmers’ agitation, BJP recently came under attack from none another than its own ally, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
SAD leader and former minister, Harsimrat Badal, who had resigned in September last year, said, “those who called the farmers first ‘bicholia’ (middlemen), then Maoists, then naxalites, then ‘atankwadi’ (extremists), then Khalistanis are all sitting here. Tell me which farmer does AK-47 ki kheti”.
Demanding a probe in the Red Fort violence case, she also accused the Modi government of “intelligence failure” ahead of January 26. “Violence should not have happened. But when you (the Modi government) could lock down the country in four hours, announce demonetisation in a few hours, when you knew a day before (January 26) about what had been announced from a (farmers) stage why you could not block roads on the day,” she questioned.
Regarding the hoisting of ‘Kesri” flag at the Red Fort on January 26, Harsimrat said a lot has been said about “insult” of Tricolour to protect which “70 per cent of blood that has been shed has been from the (Sikh) community”. “This is the same ‘kesri’ PM Modi wears. For us (Sikh community) the Red Fort is a seat of oppression and tyranny, it is from here martyrdom of our ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur was announced. He chose martyrdom to save your ‘janaeu’ and ‘tilak’,” she pointed.
