Former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal was arrested on Thursday while protesting against the newly formed farm laws in Chandigarh. 

She was leading a Kisan March that started from Takht Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda. The Shiromani Akali Dal had launched three separate ‘kisan marches’ from three religious Takhts in Punjab to Chandigarh against the laws.

“We are being arrested for speaking out for the rights of farmers, but we are pursuing the truth and will not be silenced by this force,” she tweeted.

Also Read | ‘MSP will be hiked regularly,’ says Rajnath Singh amid farmer protests

Addressing the press earlier in the day, she had said, “Shiromani Akali Dal is beginning a long struggle today to make the government roll back the black laws.”

She also said that the party left behind everything – alliance, post, government, relations – to become the voice of farmers, who have lost everything due to these laws.

 Last week, the SAD had announced to part ways with the NDA, the third major party to walk out of the BJP-led coalition in the last couple of years. On September 17, Harsimrat Kaur Badal had quit the Union Cabinet after the SAD chief had strongly opposed the bills in Lok Sabha, claiming the legislation will “destroy” the agriculture sector in Punjab.

Also Read | ‘A stab in the farmers’ heart’: Rahul Gandhi on new farm laws

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday gave assent to the three contentious bills — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. 

Meanwhile, Farmer groups across the country are staging protests demanding a law to guarantee Minimum Support Price to the farmers, waiving of all taxes imposed under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee on farmers and waiving off farmers’ loans worth Rs 7 lakh crore.

The Centre has asserted the law will be beneficial for farmers and increase their income.