Chandigarh January 18, 2021 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal today asked the Government of India not to deny the constitutional right for a peaceful Republic March in Delhi to law abiding farmers of the country on January 26.
SAD’s call to the Government of India came at the end of a three hour meeting of the Core Committee of the party held at the party headquarters here this afternoon. The party president Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal presided the meeting.
Giving details of the meeting to the media persons, Mr Harcharan Singh Bains, Principal Advisor to the SAD President said that the meeting considered the government’s dragging of its feet over permission for the peaceful democratic March as “ a grossly violative of the very Constitution which the Republic Day symbolizes.
The government, he said, could not have chosen a worse and more inappropriate day and occasion than January 26 to deny the citizens of the country their fundamental democratic right to free expression as well as the right to organize democratic activity.
“The farmers of the country have already declared that their peaceful March would be a celebration of the spirit of the very Constitution for which the nation observes Republic Day. The March by farmers would in fact be a reminder that India is a democratic Republic and is neither a monarchy nor dictatorial set up. The government should in fact thank the farmers and facilitate the March,” said a Resolution passed at the meeting.
Mr Bains said that the party Core Committee also came down heavily against the brazen abuse of the NIA against farmers who have demonstrated to the world how disciplined, peaceful and democratic their genuine and totally justified protest is.
“It is really reprehensible that the Government is taking resort to such draconian measures against the country’s peaceful bread winners (Annadata) who have not given law enforcing agencies a single excuse in over two months to complain of any violation of peace or law and order. It is really absurd that the government sees a threat to peace and security from the law abiding citizens .”
The party called upon the Government to withdraw all the notices issued to farmers and farmer leaders by the NIA.
Through another Resolution, the party resolved to continue to support and strengthen the farmers’ struggle in every way as it is fully in line with the ideals and principles for which the party has always led the fight from the front . “The party stands for the establishment of an egalitarian Republic and it was in pursuance of this goal that the party had resigned from the Union cabinet and quit the NDA.
It was for the same ideals that the party patriarch Sardar Parkash Singh Badal had returned his Padma Vibhushan. We cannot remain a mute witness if the government denies to the people their democratic rights for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Mr Bains.
