Chandigarh, Sep 20 (UNI) The Shiromani Akali Dal on Sunday urged President Ram Nath Kovind not to put his seal of approval on the Bills passed by the Parliament on the farmers' produce marketing.
'I beseech you to please stand by the beleaguered and toiling farmers, farm labour (Khet Mazdoors), Mandi labour and Dalits in their hour of need,' SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said.
'They are facing exploitation and look up to you to exercise your discretion as the highest executive in the country and come to their rescue by not signing these bills, so that they do not acquire the finality of an Act. Failing this, the poor and the beleaguered classes and their future generations will never forgive us,' he added.
Mr Badal requested the President to return the Bills to Parliament for reconsideration, so that 'the hasty decisions taken in a fleeting moment of overzealous stubbornness do not leave permanent scars on the nation's psyche, nor inflict a deep wound on the long-term vital interests of the farmers, the Farm and Mandi labour and Dalits'.
'With the Rajya Sabha passing the Bills today, these will now go to the President for his signatures of approval. Only after that, do these Bills become Acts, the former Deputy Chief Minister said.
'Therefore, there is still time to reconsider this decision and undo the damage it threatens to cause to our overall national interests, especially at this critical juncture, when the country's economy requires social stability, peace and harmony to recover from the traumatic after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,' he added.
Mr Badal said the Founding Fathers had made this Constitutional provision for the Presidential intervention, after thorough consideration of all aspects of any Legislation brought before him.
The President can ask the Parliament to reconsider and review its decision, in the event of an absence of a national consensus on any decision of the Government, he added.
'There was never a greater urgency for the President to exercise the discretion than there is today as the present legislation puts a question mark on the present and future of over 80 per cent of the country's population directly and of the remaining 20 per cent indirectly.
'This is the fittest case for the President to exercise his superior wisdom and ask the two Houses to reconsider these Bills. This is so vital in the overall national interest,' he said.
The SAD chief further said that he had been 'deeply saddened' by what happened in Parliament today.
'Democracy is not about majoritarian oppression, but about consultation, conciliation and consensus. All three democratic virtues were ignored in today's proceedings. This distortion can only be corrected with a Presidential intervention,' the Akali stalwart added.
UNI DB RJ 1846