SAD gives 7-day ultimatum to Punjab CM to declare entire state notified Mandi, repeal APMC Act or face gherao

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday gave a seven-day ultimatum to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for convening a special session of the Punjab assembly to declare the entire state a notified Mandi (Principal Market Area) and reject the Central Government's recently passed Acts on-farm marketing, as well as repeal its own amended APMC Act of 2017. In an official release, SAD said that in the event of Captain Amarinder Singh's refusal to convene the session, the party would 'gherao' his residence.

"A decision to this effect was taken at a special meeting of the SAD Core Committee chaired by party president Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal here (Chandigarh) this afternoon," it said. The party said that the core committee reiterated its continued firm support to the Farmers' Organizations fighting for the cause of the beleaguered peasantry especially with regard to the three central Acts.

"The ultimatum to Amarinder Singh has become necessary in view of the CM's continued refusal to take a clear stand against the anti-farmer Acts of the Government of India as well as his stubborn refusal to declare the entire State a Principal Market Area where the Center's Acts would no longer be implementable," said Harcharan Bains, Principal Advisor to the SAD President. Bains said that Punjab Chief Minister has been playing hide and seek with the people and their representatives on the convening of the session, promising to call it one day and going back on it the next.

"The same ambivalence and evasiveness mark Amarinder's stand on the three Acts of the Government of India on-farm marketing. We call for an end to this politics of evasion. The SAD wants the Center to make Assured Marketing of farmers' crops at Minimum Support Prince (MSP) a constitutionally mandatory provision at par with the fundamental right. The party also wants the MSP be fixed as per the Swaminathan Formula of 50 per cent profit plus the sum total of all the costs incurred by the farmers. The party wants the recommendations of the CACP to be binding on the Government of India," he stated. The party further said that the Core Committee has also decided to take up the issue of early reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor with the Union External Affairs minister soon to ensure Sikh pilgrims could pay obeisance at the shrine in Pakistan during the run-up to the 551st Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji.

"A party delegation will meet the External Affairs minister in this regard. The core committee noted that restrictions had been removed on paying obeisance at all shrines across the country and even the world. It said since the Pakistan government had also acceded to reopen the Corridor, the Union government should also give permission for the same at the earliest," the release added. Those present during party's core committee meeting included Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Jathedar Tota Singh, Professor Prem Singh Chandumajra, Charanjit Singh Atwal, SGPC President Gobind Singh Longowal, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Sikander Singh Maluka, Bikram Singh Majithia, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Hira Singh Gabaria, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Baldev Singh Mann and Harmeet Singh Kalka.

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