Sukhbir Singh Badal slams Punjab CM over power cuts, announces protest

New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal accused Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of breaking his promise to provide the free power facility to farmers by refusing to provide eight-hour uninterrupted supply to them during the peak of the paddy sowing season.

According to media reports, he announced a protest by the party on Friday (July 2) to demand restoration of power supply. 

The SAD leader said that after betraying farmers by refusing to implement a complete farm loan waiver, the CM has now effectively made the free power facility a farce in the state.

“Instead of the committed eight-hour uninterrupted power, farmers are being given 3-4 hour supply, forcing them to spend thousands of rupees every day on diesel generators to save their paddy crop. All this is being done deliberately as part of a conspiracy to avoid paying subsidy to the power utility for free power given to farmers,” he claimed in a statement.

Sukhbir further said that many farmers were being forced to plough their paddy fields and thousands had not completed sowing of paddy due to lack of power. He said the SAD would hold protests outside the offices of PSPCL on Friday to demand restoration of power supply for both the agricultural and domestic sector in the state.

Meanwhile, the SAD chief and two other party leaders were booked by the Amritsar police on Thursday, a day after the opposition party in Punjab alleged that illegal mining was being carried out near the Beas river.

Badal alleged on Wednesday that illegal mining was being carried out near the bridge on the Beas river, a charge vehemently denied by the state mining department.

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