Insta
Award Wapsi Begins: SAD Leader Prakash Singh Badal Returns Padma Vibhushan Alleging 'Betrayal Of Farmers'
Swarajya Staff
Dec 03, 2020, 01:48 PM | Updated 01:48 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former chief minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal alleging 'betrayal of farmers' by the central government. He was awarded the second-highest civilian award in 2015.
Former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal returns Padma Vibhushan to protest "the betrayal of the farmers by govt of India" pic.twitter.com/mzdsoAZSlC
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2020
This development comes after the SAD severed ties with the NDA over the Farm Bills - aimed at ushering in long pending reforms in the agriculture sector. These reforms seek to empower farmers to directly sell their produce to the private sector without having to deal with state run APMCs.
The BJP has claimed that the current Punjab farmer protests on the Delhi border are fuelled by middlemen, commissioning agents and the Congress.
In Punjab the Congress and SAD appear to have found a common ground with regards to these new laws.
Incidentally, the practice of returning government awards - commonly dubbed as Award Wapsi, came to the forefront during the first stint of the Narendra Modi led government.
The predominantly leftist participants in the movement alleged 'rising intolerance' in the country, while their critics called it a "a politically motivated campaign organised by Marxists".
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.