Harsimrat%20Badal%20quits%20as%20farm%20Bill%20divides%20NDA%20in%20Punjab%3B%20Haryana%20ally%20may%20follow%20suit

“Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badalu2019s resignation from the Narendra Modi government in protest against the governmentu2019s attempts to liberalise the agricultural sector has exposed the fault lines that exist on the issue in the largely agriculture driven states of Punjab and Haryana. The governmentu2019s move has met with large-scale resistance from farmers, particularly in these two states, and informed sources suggest that it is just a matter of time before the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party also follows suit. Like the Akali dal, the JJP has a big support base among the farmers and is under tremendous pressure to disassociate itself from the BJP on the issue. The farming community carries a lot of political weight in large parts of the country , specially in North India, and no political party can afford to antagonise them. The governmentu2019s decision to push through the two bills has come in for criticism not just from the Congress party and the rest of the opposition but has also caused a great amount of disquiet among parties like the Biju Janata Dal and YSR Congress, parties that more often than not support the government. However given the angst amongst the farmers on the issue, the government allies have also had to oppose the bill. Initially the Akali Dal was pushed into a corner on the issue, after it emerged that Harsimrat Kaur was present at the cabinet meeting that gave its assent to the ordinance. Realising the consequences of being viewed as anti-farmer, the party has sought to limit the damage by getting Harsimrat Badal its sole representative in the government to resign.u00a0. The Congress has been quick to pounce on the issue with Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh terming it a u2018gimmicku2019. u201cThis is clearly after thought, they first supported the government when it promulgated the ordinance, now when the Bill has been passed they’ve chosen to resign,u201d Singh said.u00a0. The issue is expected to generate a fair amount of heat in the days ahead. The Congress has challenged the Akali Dal to withdraw its support from the NDA government if it is really serious about its opposition to the bill. Clearly the last has not been heard on the issue, and the BJP allies are likely to come under greater pressure in the days ahead to disassociate themselves from the government on the issue . The farmers issue has a lot of political traction and the Opposition will in probability try and milk it for all its worth. The government is struggling to deal with problems like the sharply contracting economy, the Chinese threat on the border and the Corona pandemic, it can ill afford to antagonise the farming community. #HarsimratKaurBadal #MonsoonSession #BJP #Punjabu00a0.”