Harsimrat Kaur Badal quits as union minister protesting over farm bills
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Akali Dal’s lone minister in Modi’s Cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on Thursday resigned from the Union Cabinet to protest against the farm bills.
The farm reform bills namely The Farmers’ Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill’, ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill’, and ‘The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill‘ have been touted as game-changers for the farm sectors.
One of the key features of these bills is freeing farmers from government controlled market and prices, thereby allowing them to directly deal with private companies for a better price for their produce.
Earlier on Thursday, Akali Dal chief, Sukhbir Singh Badal announced in the Lok Sabha that Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Minister for Food Processing, will resign in protest against the government’s two more farm-sector related bills in the lower house amid widespread protests by farmers in Punjab and Haryana saying “I announce that Harsimrat Kaur Badal will resign from the government”.
The Akali Dal had also protested against the first of three such bills, which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. However, The Akali Dal though will continue to support the Narendra Modi led central government.
