In a recent interview with a leading National Daily, SAD Chief, Badal stated that the party split from NDA is ”sad”. He added that his party cannot compromise on its principles and asserted that Akali Dal is not against corporate (lobbies) but wanted MSP included in farm laws, and accused Congress of “playing games” on the legislation.

In the interview he stated that SAD was a founding member of the NDA and that they substantially represent the farming community. He further added that Chaudhary Devi Lal, Charan Singh and his father (Parkash Singh Badal) are still the face of the farmers in this country. Sukhbir stressed on the point that when the government decided to introduce a radical change in the system of agriculture, they should have consulted their allies.  SAD was not consulted at all when the Bills were being prepared which was a major sign of a trigger of the split.

He also added that in Punjab and Haryana, every farmer has a fear that big corporate lobbies will take over the market first and then exploit them and finish off the Minimum Support Price. They have a fear that these bills will end the APMC mandis.  In Punjab there are 1,900 mandis for 12,000 villages. This means that there is one mandi for about six-seven villages. As pointed out by Sukhbir Singh Badal, generally, a mandi is 25 minutes from the village, where one can sell the produce and get the money, which is not so in any other part of the country.

Badal told the government that there must be a legal provision in the Bill assuring that MSP will be a right of the farmer and that for every purchase, even by a private player, the value of the purchase will be above the MSP, and that the mandi system would remain unchanged. He stated that the government was not ready to put it in the legal language.

However, when Prime Minister announced the Bills in the (Monsoon) Session, Badal had suggested to the government not to bring up the Bills till all the apprehensions of farmers were allayed.

Badal said, that he had requested the ministers and the BJP president to send it to a parliamentary select committee so that the committee meets the farmers, the farmer unions, and incorporates their concerns, but they refused. He stated that since that was the case (not incorporating farmers’ concerns) the SAD could no more be a part of such an unaccountable system in the alliance with the government.

Further, Badal added that he has set up a high-power committee including the senior leadership. In this committee, they will talk to all the jathebandis (organisations), Kisan unions, as well as all the people who are part of this struggle. As a statement of caution, he stated that sometimes, the government may think certain decisions are good but the people will not accept them. He further added on a note of confidence that a lot more can be achieved only if there is a coordinated effort.