SAD leaders meet President Kovind, urge to withhold assent to farm Bills

A delegation of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an NDA ally, on Monday evening met President Ram Nath Kovind and urged him to withhold assent to the contentious farm Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament.

Coming out of the meeting, SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, told the media: "We have requested the President against signing the anti-farmer Bills passed in Parliament by force. We requested him to send back those Bills to Parliament."

Apart from Badal who led the delegation, Akali MP Naresh Gujral and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra were also present at the meeting. The delegation also submitted a memorandum to Kovind.

The SAD has been a longstanding ally of the ruling BJP. SAD's Lok Sabha MP and Sukhbir`s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal had resigned from the Union Cabinet on September 17, citing her party`s opposition to the three Bills.

The two Bills Badal was referring to were The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, which were passed by the Rajya Sabha on Sunday. The Lok Sabha passed these Bills last week.