Amid farmers-Haryana police clash at border, SAD chief draws shocking parallel with 26/11

In a shockingly insensitive comment, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday, compared the police action against protesting Punjab farmers at the Punjab-Haryana border to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Condemning the Haryana and the Central government, he said that the 'Punjab farmers cannot be throttled by using water cannons against them'. This comment comes on the 12th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks when a group of Pakistani terrorists entered Mumbai via the sea route and carried out 12 coordinated shootings and bombings across the city - killing 174, injuring over 300.

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Haryana govt water-cannons farmers   

With Punjab and Haryana farmers marching towards Delhi protesting the Centre's three Farm Acts, the Haryana administration, which has sealed its borders for two days, resorted to using tear gas and water-cannons as farmers tried to break barricades ad proceed to the national capital. Visuals for the 'Dilli Chalo' march at Shambhu, Punjab-Haryana border, show protesters picking up one of the metal barricades and tossed it off over a river-bridge, to which the police retaliated by lathi-charging, water-cannon and tear gas. This has been ongoing since Wednesday, with Congress, AAP and Akali Dal condemning the Centre for stopping the farmers, while BJP has accused the Opposition of 'inciting innocent farmers'.

Recently, Centre commenced rail services from and to Punjab because the farmers' unions had decided to lift rail blockades completely, after talks with Punjab CM Amarinder Singh. Centre has held two rounds of talks with Farm unions in Delhi which have been inconclusive and has agreed to hold next round of talks on December 3.  Farmers allege that these laws are "anti-farmers" and will "destroy voice of farmers and leave them at the mercy of market forces", inspite of PM Modi assuring that Minimum Sale price will exist.

In dramatic 'Dilli Chalo' face-off, farmers toss barricades off bridge, cops use tear gas

What are the Farm Laws?

As the country opened up after lockdown, the Centre promulgated three ordinances affecting agriculture. Agriculture foodstuff including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions, and potato are to be deregulated while stock limits were to be imposed only under extreme conditions, under the amendment to the Essential Commodities act. The Farmers' produce trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act was to enable better price realisation for farmers by attracting investments - making agriculture sector competitive.  Under the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm services ordinance, 2020, it provided a framework for the protection and empowerment of farmers with reference to the sale and purchase of farm products overriding all state APMC laws. State governments in Punjab, Rajasthan have passed laws annulling the Centre's laws.

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