हिंदी
(Parties write to President, ask him to give them time to discuss the disturbing situation in parliament with the govt refusing discussion on adjournment motions moved by the opposition on agri laws)
Chandigarh, July 27 2021 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today led an initiative appealing to President Ram Nath Kovind to personally intervene and prevail upon the union government to discuss the demand for repeal of the three agricultural laws.
The SAD along with six other parties have also requested the President to give them time to apprise him about the deadlock in parliament due to the intransigent attitude of the NDA government which is stonewalling all discussion on the three agricultural laws.
The letter has been signed by SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal on behalf of his party besides representatives of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National Congress Party (NCP), CPI-M, CPI, RLP and Jammu and Kashmir National Congress. It has also demanded a discussion on the need to probe the Pegasus spyware issue.
Giving details, former minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the opposition parties had briefed the President that they had been moving repeated adjournments to demand discussion on repeal of the three black laws on agriculture but the government had refused to allow discussion on this most sensitive issue. The letter said a human tragedy was unfolding on the borders of Delhi with more than 550 farmers already having lost their lives during the course of the ongoing Kisan Andolan. “The livelihoods of millions more are at stake due to the three agricultural laws which have been made with the express purpose of handing over the agriculture sector to corporations but the NDA government remains unmoved. We appeal to you to direct the union government to repeal the three laws and then hold talks with farmers to discuss ways and means to better their economic condition”.
The letter said similarly the use of Pegasus software to tape telephone numbers of politicians as well as journalists and activists besides known detractors of the NDA government had sent shockwaves amongst civil society. “It is a known fact that the Israeli company NSO sells the software only to vetted governments and the company has admitted as such. Despite these revelations the union government is refusing to disclose why it had used this software against its own citizens besides disclosing details of the payments made to access the same. The NDA government has also refused to hold a probe into the entire issue”.
