Ex-Union Minister Harsimrat & SAD chief Sukhbir Badal detained by police for farm protest

Protesting against the Centre's Farm Acts, ex-Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and 15 other Akali Dal leaders were detained by Chandigarh administration on Thursday. Badal had led massive farmers protest from Bathinda's Takht Damdama Sahib towards Chandigarh. The long retinue comprising of farmers and Akali Dal supporters on trucks, cars and on foot, was stopped by Chandigarh Police as they arrived at the Chandigarh-Zirakpur border. Similarly, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh and his retinue have been detained at Mullapur border by Chandigarh police, as per sources. Reports state Dera Bassi MLA NK Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Bhunder and Youth Akali Dal (SAD) president Parambans Singh Romana were among the other leaders detained. 

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Harsimrat Badal detained by  police

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Akali Dal farmer protest

Meanwhile, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal led a ‘Kisan March’ from Amritsar's Golden Temple towards Governor’s House in Chandigarh. Badal, accompanied by leaders like Bikram Singh Majithia, Virsa Singh Valtoha, Gulzar Singh Ranike and others, had proclaimed that they will submit a memorandum o the Punjab Governor urging the Centre government and the President of India to repeal the Farm Act. The ex-NDA ally has also hit out at Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh claiming he had already passed a similar law in Punjab. Akali Dal has ended its 23-year-old alliance with NDA over the Farm Acts, with Harsimrat resigning as Union Food Processing Minister.

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Farmers protest

Protests continue to surge across the nation against the Farm Acts - with Akali Dal flagging protests in Punjab and Congress planning massive protests across the nation. In Punjab and Haryana, 31 farmer organisations under aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) staged a Bharat Bandh, taking to the streets to block highways on September 25. Extending the 'Rail roko', they squatted on tracks at many places in Punjab, with CM Amarinder Singh too taking to the streets to protest.  Similar protests are currently underway in Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu with farmers demanding rollback of the bills. 

Prime Minister Modi has assured farmers that mandis and minimum sale price will remain, allaying the main concern of farmers and lashed out at the Opposition for 'spreading rumours'.  The Centre also increased the minimum support price of wheat by Rs 50 per quintal to Rs 1,975 per quintal, to allay farmers' fears. But several states like Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh have pledged to 'not implement these laws'. President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to all three Farm Bills passed by the Parliament - Essential Commodities (Amendment) 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm services Act 2020 and the Farmers' produce trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020.

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