Harsimrat Kaur, Sukhbir Badal arrested in Punjab for protesting against new farm laws

Former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal was arrested in Chandigarh on Thursday for protesting against contentious farm laws.

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

Sukhbir, who is also an MP from Ferozpur, and several other party workers were detained from near Mullapur barrier in Chandigarh. Police also resorted to baton charge and used water cannons to disperse the SAD workers during a Kisan March against the farm legislations.

Putting out a tweet about her arrest, Harsimrat said "they won't be able to silence us."

Earlier today, SAD began a long struggle to make the government roll back the black laws.

"The party left behind everything - alliance, post, government, relations - to become the voice of farmers, who have lost everything due to these Laws," said Harsimrat Kaur Badal referring to the Farm Laws recently passed in the Parliament.

Ahead of the march, the SAD leader visited Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo of Bathinda to seek blessings. She is leading Kisan March of the party from Talwani Sabo, in protest against Farm Laws. The march will culminate at Raj Bhawan.

Shiromani Akali Dal will submit a memorandum to Punjab Governor with a request to Centre and President that Parliament sessions should be convened once again and the Farm laws must be taken back, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday.

"Kisan March will go to Punjab Raj Bhawan. We'll give a memorandum to the Governor with a request to centre and President that sessions of both Houses be convened once again and the laws (Farm laws) be taken back. Farmers are protesting against those black laws," Badal said at a news conference.

Badal visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Thursday where he led a Kisan March.

On September 17, Harsimrat Kaur Badal had quit the Union Cabinet after the SAD chief had strongly opposed the bills in the Lok Sabha, claiming the legislations will "destroy" the agriculture sector in Punjab. 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.

Protests by farmers against the new laws have been ongoing for the past few days over that passage of three laws - The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

(With inputs from ANI, News18 Photo courtesy - Harsimrat Kaur Badal official Twitter)